The 18-Minute Push: Tiny Daily Wins
How to do more in long term by doing less today.
One Saturday last month, I spent 6 hours working on my new paper product, feeling like a creative genius. Then I didn't touch it again for two weeks. And I had no desire to touch it anytime soon.
Sound familiar? We have all bought into the myth that creativity requires massive blocks of time. That real creatives pull all-nighters and emerge with masterpieces.
That's bullshit, and it's why most creative projects die.
All-nighter trap
Done it many times. 100% of them I had to fix most of my work the next day, as my tired brain made tons of mistakes.
Brilliant work at 3AM is a midass work at 3PM.
That leads to:
The guilt. I feel like shit about the wasted time and poor results. Makes starting again harder.
The false belief. I tell myself I needed those marathon sessions to do real work, so I would wait for the next opportunity to sacrifice sleep instead of working consistently.
The irregular schedule. My creative work became feast or famine. Days of nothing, one all-nighter, days of nothing.
18 minutes for momentum
Why 18 minutes specifically?
It's long enough to make an impact, it’s short enough to commit easily. "I don't have 18 minutes" is harder to justify than "I don't have 2 hours."
And it’s not as common as 10 or 15, which makes it more of “your” thing. Goofy but works.
In 18 minutes you can write a short draft, sketch an idea, edit a photo, compose a melody. You can start something.
It creates easy momentum without burnout. You finish wanting more, not feeling drained.
Like dipping your feet in a cold pool. You make the first step that opens the door to another, then another. After you get in the pool, you get used to the water temperature and want to stay there for a while.
The same goes for this. Not all sessions will make you want to keep going but when you flow, you go.
More here:
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18 minutes in action
The 18-minute rule is simple: commit to 18 minutes every single day. Not when you feel inspired. Not when you have more time. Every. Single. Day.
Set a timer. When it goes off, you can stop or keep going—but the brick is placed.
Choose your time block. Early morning or late night works best. First is more energy, second is fewer distractions. But lunch breaks work too, don’t overthink it. Just pick a time you can defend.
Set up your system. Use your phone timer, a habit app, whatever works. I use Habitica for tasks and Clockify for tracking sessions.
Track your progress. Mark an X on a calendar. Use a simple habit tracker. The visual reminder of your streak becomes an oddly satisfying motivation. What’s your record Duolingo streak? Can you repeat that streak with just 18 minutes of working on what you care about?
Have your materials ready. Anything to remove friction between deciding to start and starting. If you don’t know what friction is, read the linked post above.
Celebrate streaks. Finished day 7? Go out. Hit two weeks? Tell someone.
Handling the resistance
Of course, your brain will fight even 18 minutes. Let’s answer it:
"I don't have 18 minutes." Yes, you do. You have 18 minutes for social media, email, random YouTube videos. This is about priorities, not time.
"18 minutes isn't enough to do anything good." This is perfectionism disguised as standards. It’s not much, but it’s enough.
"I missed a day, so I failed." One missed day doesn't erase your progress. Get back to it tomorrow. Consistency matters more than perfection. Keep the 2 days rule in mind.
But the main cause of not starting is a lack of clarity. You don’t have this problem with brushing your teeth, creative work is a different story.
More here:
What 18 minutes actually get you
I promised tangibility, so here it is.
In 18 minutes, you can:
Write down measurable goals for this month to tape above your monitor.
Write out 2-10 content ideas, depending on your brain clarity that day.
Create a mind map with the next steps sketched out.
Create a short video from your long-form content.
Research and order the next book you will read.
Finish a journaling session for clarity.
Write 200-300 words of a rough draft.
Practice a song section.
Edit a photo.
It's something, right?
More important than what you will accomplish during this time is the seed you plant in your head. You plant ideas by taking action. That seed can unexpectedly sprout next time you walk down the grocery store.
The compound effect
18 minutes daily for a year is 109 hours of focused work. Nearly three full work weeks. Try getting that from sporadic weekend binges.
If you struggle with motivation burst then doing nothing cycles, try it.
I see it like that:
Feel free to save and share it. Print it and put on a wall if you need extra motivation.
All of those graphics are available in the library for premium subscribers.
Start today
The primary goal of this newsletter is not for you to just read it on a coffee break, but to shift your identity in the long term. And that comes from taking action.
So, now: pick your 18 minutes.
Open your phone and set the timer for that exact time.
Best to start right after you finish reading, but if you got no time, be sincere there, schedule it. Don’t plan in advance—just a seed, even one word in the calendar event. 8-8:15 PM | writing | 18 minutes.
Sit your ass in the chair until the timer rings, even if your mind feels like void.
Don't wait for Monday. Don't wait for the perfect setup. Don't wait for inspiration.
18 minutes. That's it. Your future creative self will thank you for not waiting for the perfect moment that never comes.
The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now.
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To read next:
This is the fifth post from the new schedule (Week 5), next up:
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