“The moment that you feel that just possibly you’re walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your heart and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself—that’s the moment you may be starting to get it right.”
—Neil Gaiman

The media often portrays standout individuals as superheroes, people who are constantly winning and conquering every challenge without breaking a sweat. While these stories can be inspiring, they often lead to an unhealthy inner monologue: “They can do it because they’re incredible and have no faults. But I’m just a normal person; I can’t do that.”

The reality is that these so-called superheroes are nothing of the sort. They’re just as quirky and neurotic as the rest of us, achieving big things despite self-defeating habits and negative self-talk.

Tim Ferris, the popular productivity coach, admits he’s not great at efficiency—doing things quickly or perfectly—but he has developed a few strategies. Here’s his coping mechanism: an eight-step process for maximizing efficacy—doing the right things.

An Eight-Step Process to Maximize Efficacy

1. Wake Up Early
   Get up at least an hour before needing to be at a computer screen. Email is the mind killer; don’t dive into reactive mode immediately.
2. Prepare the Mind
   Make a cup of tea (he prefers Pu-erh) and sit down with a pen and paper. Going analog helps in thinking more clearly.
3. Identify Anxieties
   Write down 3-5 things that are causing the most anxiety or discomfort. These are often tasks that keep getting pushed from one day’s to-do list to the next.
4. Evaluate Importance
   For each item, ask:
   • If this were the only thing accomplished today, would it make the day satisfying?
   • Will moving this forward make other to-dos unimportant or easier to tackle later?
5. Prioritize
   Focus only on the items answered “yes” to at least one of those questions. These are the high-leverage tasks.
6. Block Time for One Task
   Allocate 2-3 hours to focus on just one of these tasks for the day. Let the less important stuff slide; it’ll still be there tomorrow.
7. Eliminate Distractions
   During this block of time, avoid all distractions—no social media, no multitasking. Cobbling together small chunks of time doesn’t work.
8. Be Gentle with Yourself
   If distractions occur or procrastination sets in (it happens to everyone), don’t engage in self-criticism. Gently bring the focus back to the one task.

This method is how Tim creates significant outcomes despite his ongoing impulse to procrastinate or waste time. He’s learned that if he has ten important things to do in a day, it’s almost certain that nothing important will get done. But focusing on one must-do item? That he can handle.

It doesn’t take much to seem superhuman and appear successful to those around you if you learn to single-task. What you do is more important than how you do everything else. Doing something well doesn’t make it important.

If you consistently feel the need to do more, consider this: Being busy is a form of laziness—lazy thinking and indiscriminate action. It’s often a way to avoid the few critically important but uncomfortable actions that need to be taken.

And when, despite your best efforts, you feel like you’re losing at the game of life, remember that even the best feel this way sometimes. When Tim finds himself in the pit of despair, he recalls what the iconic writer Kurt Vonnegut said about his process:

“When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth.”

So, don’t overestimate the world and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think, and you’re not alone. We’re all in this together, and everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

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Remember: Focus on what matters, be kind to yourself, and take it one task at a time.