Basically, depression is an advanced problem-solving state. So make it work for you, not against you!

Although numbers like these are great for computing averages and trends, they are harder to interpret for humans, and this can cause a lot of inconsistency and inaccuracy in your data. What exactly does a 3 mean? Does my feeling of "threeness" really correspond to yours?

The same issue comes up a lot in role-playing game systems, where character traits and skills are ranked at various levels. Your druid might have a 17 in Wisdom, or a +4 in Wilderness Lore. I love reading RPG books, but not always to play the game. I find that a cleverly designed game model often works as a microcosm of reality and how we relate to it. For example, the lawful-chaotic axis of alignment in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons correlates nicely to the judging vs. perceiving aspect of the MBTI personality test.

The most user-friendly rating scale I’ve ever found is from Steffan O’Sullivan’s ingenious Fudge system, which maps English words to various degrees of quality. Instead of having Strength 7, you might have "poor Strength". Instead of Fishing +9, you might be "superb" at fishing. And this is the scale I use when I review products.

Fudge scale

Note: The original Fudge scale actually uses the terms superb, great, good, fair, mediocre, poor and terrible, but I prefer to use more colloquial translations you see above.

You’ve got Gomer on line 4 and Melvin on line 5 when someone walks in the door. You smile and say, "Hi there, I’ll be with you in a moment. Please have a seat." Now back to Marvin. Or was it Melvin?

There’s only so much room up there for these kinds of details. Jot it down! This frees your short-term memory so you can fully serve in the present moment. In Getting Things Done, David Allen calls it your "psychic RAM".

Be ready for anything that comes at you. I keep a notepad handy in every room, especially near phones. A quick list goes a long way in centring you on your immediate tasks and knowing when they’re due.

6. Set a clear goal and time it

Deadlines, eh? Practise guessing how long it takes you to really finish something. For example, e-mailing Bertha about this morning’s sonar malfunction… 10 minutes, you say? Okay, prove it.

You set the kitchen timer on your desk to 10 minutes and write down "e-mail Fan" on the notepad next to it. Fire up Gmail… whoa, 21 new messages. Hey, Floyd wants to go see Brüno tonight! Yikes, check out that raunchy Evony ad. Wait, I had a goal here. Quick check. Oh right, e-mail Fannie.

Timers force us to stay on task for a brief period of time. They also help us realize how long it actually takes to do something when you factor in interruptions. Track your stats in a spreadsheet or use an evidence-based scheduling tool like FogBUGZ.

Over time, you’ll learn from your patterns and adjust accordingly. The less you bounce from task to task, the faster you’ll complete all of them. Practice every day, and soon, you too will become a time ninja.

7. Make a bull and carrot sandwich

How do you prioritize when the deadlines are all equally pressing? Make a bull and carrot sandwich.

Bull: If something’s bugging you, do it first! Usually it’s the thing you least want to do. Until you finish it, it will linger at the back of your mind while you’re trying to do other things. Grab the bull by its horns and do it first. Good riddance.

Carrot: The opposite strategy works too. Do the task you’re best at. You’ll finish it the fastest. The sense of accomplishment will get the ball rolling, and you can leap right into a harder task.

You can structure your rhythm this way like a sandwich, alternating between the hardest and easiest tasks, between bull and carrot.

8. Time out and breathe

Mind is racing? Then stop and breathe. Literally. Close your eyes now and focus on your breath. For at least a minute. If anything else enters your mind, quietly acknowledge it as "thinking" and return to your breath.

Once you connect to the inner shamanic grin (as I call it), you can step back and have a much clearer view of everything. See deeper patterns in your workflow. Envision a wiser plan. Prepare better responses ahead of time for common situations.

Then, whoosh, reenter the hustle and bustle with your new-found Zen.

1. Choose your battles

Whenever you can single-task, do it! Your productivity peaks once you’re in the zone.

Studies consistently show that single-taskers get things done faster and more efficiently than multi-taskers. For example, a study for Hewlett Packard found that workers interrupted by e-mails and phone calls were less productive than pot smokers!

Of course, in many cases, reality forces us to multi-task. But when you do have a choice, this is your cue to put everything else on hold and finish the current task first. Your brain will thank you later.

2. Combine smartly

When you choose to multi-task, do it in a non-interfering way. For example, when I’m on the phone with a friend, I’m often doing mindless chores in the background. Emptying the dishwasher and folding laundry are boring on their own, but combine them with an engaging conversation, and they get done without even noticing.

3. Introvert or extravert?

Self-knowledge is key. We all know that introverts tend to be shy and extraverts are more talkative, but it’s deeper than that. Introversion and extraversion are like two ends of a spectrum that everyone has within them. There are moments when you need to be alone to recharge your battery, and other times that call for a lunch out with friends. That being said, most people do have a dominant side. If you’re not sure which way you lean, try this personality test.

Your inner Extravert has a natural advantage in multi-tasking. Extraverts are energized when interacting with the world around them, and they share their enthusiasm with everyone. You could say they get bored when they’re not multi-tasking! Outside stimulation drives them to excel. If you’re an extravert, your biggest challenges lie in concentrating and following through.

That’s where your inner Introvert comes in. Introverts are great listeners. You can concentrate, put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand their situation.

In short, use your Extravert to switch between tasks and your Introvert once you engage one-on-one with that task.

4. Eliminate channels

The flow of new info is dangerously addictive. Cut out any channel you can. If you’re already multi-tasking on things you need to do, you can’t afford extra clutter competing for your attention.

• Turn off that e-mail alert. Set your own pace for how often you actually want to check your inbox.
• Don’t need to IM right now? Don’t go “away”. Actually close the app.
• Unsubscribe from useless e-mail lists (check out Gmail’s new auto-unsubscribe)
• Keep a clean desk, workspace and zero inbox.
• Don’t need your ears for the next hour? Pop in some earplugs.
• Designate specific hours for certain tasks. The “office hours” system works well for many university professors. Students are conveniently funnelled.
• Never eat lunch at your work desk. If you can afford a real break, actually leave the building. Go for a walk. Clear your mind.
• Too many Firefox tabs open? Use the “bookmark all tabs” feature, then “close other tabs”. Don’t burn yourself out. Look at those other ones later.

Stay tuned for part 2…

So if you’re insecure about something, let’s say, your appearance or your ability to show up on time, don’t use a polar-opposite mantra like "I am beautiful." or "I am always early." You’ll actually end up depressing yourself!

The trick is to translate that idea or goal into something you already know when you’re feeling your best. So maybe try "I have strong arms." or "I love setting appointments in my smartphone." or whatever applies to you. Basically, you can’t teleport your way to a state that is out of reach. Instead, you have to remind yourself of your front-line best real position. Reaffirming this believable but strong starting point, you can maintain that progress and slowly grow with new insights from there.

I personally like using John’s Background Switcher to randomly rotate my inspirational reminders as my computer’s wallpaper. I use it in a way similar to David Allen’s tickler file in Getting Things Done. Using an image editor (like GIMP or even an online tool like Big Huge Labs’ motivational poster generator or Sumo Paint), I drew up a bunch of silly but believable self-reminders for myself. Power up!

Leave the room immediately

My favourite trick to waking up early is bold and simple. As soon as you notice you’re awake, leave the room now. "Don’t allow yourself to rationalize going back to bed. Just force yourself to go out of the room." says Zen Habits in 10 benefits of rising early, and how to do it. That’s it. No thoughts, just action. If you allow any words in your head, start the countdown… 10, 9, 8, boom! And suddenly you’re up and checking your e-mail in the other room, or whatever.

If you stay horizontal and start analyzing how many more snoozes you can afford, you’re already in the wrong race. The more intelligent and creative your brain is, the faster it will trick you and win.

Morning pill ritual

If you take a stimulant prescription like Dexedrine to be functional throughout the day, you can also use it to regulate your morning energy levels and avoid the dreaded oversleeping accident.

Every night before going to bed, fill up a glass of water and leave it with your morning dose on your bedside table, between you and your clock. Set two alarms, for example, like this:

• 7 a.m. – Beep! beep! Immediately take your meds. Fall back asleep if you want.
• 8 a.m. – 2nd alarm. Your meds have kicked in by now. You wake up alert and ready to start your day.

For more sleep advice, I recommend ADDitude’s article: End Bedtime Battles.

Procrastination is not procrastination if you actually allow yourself the break. If you’re thinking about how you should actually be working while you’re playing, then you’re not doing either of them effectively!

When you need a break from work, grab a kitchen timer (you should have one in every room of the house!) and set it to 15 minutes or whatever you think is appropriate.

Then you’re free to hyperfocus on playing that online game, napping, watching that funny video or whatever. You can let go and fully immerse yourself in the fun, because the timer will remind you (ding!) when it’s time to come back to your more serious task.