Alright, let me tell you about this whole Mike McClendon thing I went through. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and decided, “Hey, I’m gonna dive into McClendon’s world!” Nah, it was more out of, well, sheer desperation, if I’m being honest.
The Mess Before McClendon
So, picture this: my desk was a disaster zone. Sticky notes everywhere, a bunch of half-baked to-do list apps on my phone, and my brain felt like a tangled ball of yarn. I was trying to juggle a few personal projects, plus my usual work, and stuff was just falling through the cracks. I’d start one thing, get distracted, jump to another, and by the end of the day, I’d feel busy but wouldn’t have much to show for it. Sound familiar? I bet it does for some of you.
I tried all the fancy productivity systems, you know? The ones with complicated charts and endless sub-tasks. Spent more time setting up the system than actually doing the work. It was a joke.
Stumbling Upon McClendon’s Ideas
Then, I was digging through some old forums one night, probably procrastinating, and saw a mention of this “McClendon approach.” Wasn’t even sure if it was a specific guy or just a nickname for a method. The post was kinda vague, talked about stripping things back to basics. No fancy software, no complex rules. It sounded too simple, almost ancient, compared to what I’d been trying.
My first thought? This is probably nonsense. How could something so basic actually work when all these high-tech solutions failed me? But, like I said, I was at my wit’s end.
Giving It a Go (and Almost Giving Up)
So, I decided to give it a shot. From what I could piece together, the core idea was super minimalist. I grabbed a plain notebook and a pen – that was it. The “McClendon way,” as I interpreted it, was to just write down the absolute must-do tasks for the day. No more than three, maybe five if they were tiny. And then, and this was the kicker, you weren’t supposed to look at anything else until those were done. No email, no social media, just focus.
The first few days were rough. Seriously rough. I’d write my three things, and my brain would scream for distractions. It felt weird not having a million things on my list. I kept thinking, “Is this it? Am I missing something?” I almost chucked the notebook a couple of times. It felt unproductive because the planning part was so quick, and the list looked so short. My old habits of multi-tasking and ‘feeling busy’ were hard to break.
The Breakthrough
But I stuck with it, mostly because I was too tired to try anything new. And then, around day four or five, something kinda clicked. I finished my three tasks by lunchtime. And not just “finished” as in rushed through, but properly done. I actually had the afternoon free to tackle other things, or even, dare I say it, relax a bit without that nagging guilt of unfinished business.
I realized the genius wasn’t in the list itself, but in the forced focus. By limiting my choices, this “McClendon idea” was making me actually complete things. It wasn’t about doing more things, but about doing the right things properly.
- I started my days with a clear head.
- I stopped feeling overwhelmed by a massive list.
- I actually got more meaningful stuff done.
Where I’m At Now
So, that’s my Mike McClendon story. I don’t know if I’m doing it “by the book,” or if there even is a book. I just took what I understood and made it work for me. It’s not a magic bullet, and some days are still a bit chaotic. But that simple, almost laughably basic approach I stumbled upon? It actually helped me dig myself out of a hole. I still use that notebook. It’s not fancy, but it works. Sometimes, the old ways, or the simple ways, are the best, huh? Who knew.
