There are certain things that I do when I post a piece that are easy.
One thing is finding an image at SXC.HU and attributing it accordingly thanks to a TextExpander snippet I’ve got prepared in advance that allows me to simply fill in the URL and creator of the image. Another is socially sharing the post through several portals, including App.net and Google+ using Buffer.
I hit The Easy Button after I’ve done all of that.1 It’s a button that my wife gave me, and it actually is more helpful than you’d think.
The Easy Button acts as a closing bell of sorts. I use it when I wrap up something more difficult as well as a way of celebrating it being done. While some use a technique to countdown the time to spend on something (usually resulting in an alarm of some sort), I focus on the task and only hit the button when it is done.2 That means The Easy Button doesn’t always get pressed. But when it does, it’s a glorious sound because it wasn’t initiated by a device of some sort. I made it happen.
I’m big on visual touchstones, and The Easy Button acts as one of those. It’s there when I need it and out of the way when I don’t. While it may seem silly to have such a thing on my desk, it’s something that reminds me that some things are easier than others…and having a way to celebrate completing them is a great way to keep you moving forward.
1 I don’t press it after each one, because even combined they are easy to do. Writing is hard, but taking the steps afterward to spread my writing is the easy part.
2 To be fair, I also use 30/30 from time to time to put me in that mode as well.