drop dead condition – From the desk of Adam Thomas

Let’s make it happen

The last two days we talked a lot about closets. I use the closet not only as a practical example but also a metaphor. Drop dead conditions are ideal for all sorts of things, ranging from decisions on products to where you want to eat for dinner.

How are we putting the drop dead condition(DDC) into action?

Before we use it to decide when we are going to launch our next initiative, let’s stick to our closets.

Exercise:

Block out at least 30 minutes to review your closet with a pen and a pad.

Review each item in the closet. Each one gets 10 seconds, no more! I’ve found that our emotions don’t change after 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, we tend to rationalize.

If you like it, NEXT!

If you don’t like it, jot down the reason.

Bonus points! Remove it immediately from your closet. There’s no reason to keep something you hate. Coordinate a gift donation with a local not-for-profit. Get that thing out of your house, for real.

When you’re done reviewing your closet, you now have a list of DDCs!

Place this list in your wallet. Look at it every time you go shopping.

Schedule a DDC action three months later. You will review your closet’s contents and toss what no longer serves you.

This exercise an easy way for you to get comfortable with this framework.

Don’t give yourself an out

So, we are dealing with the idea of complexity and utility, and I can think of no better example than our closet. It’s something that we all have and deal with, no matter our style or sense of self.

If you live in an area with other people, you have to dress every day.

When you deal with your closet, we give a lot of thought to the adding clothing part.

When we want to buy something, we head to our local mall or fire up an online retailer we like, and pick something to bring home.

We don’t think about removal and end up with a closet that is a way too complex.

The complexity gets so crazy that it affects our day. This matters and high performers account for it, and it’s why people like the president don’t even deal with their closet.

Today, I want to talk about a tool I use to make sure I keep myself in check.

Drop dead condition (DDC)

Whenever I get clothing, I think, with intent, on how it goes with the rest of my closet. I take it a step further and reflect. I think about removal. What is a reason I stop wearing it?

If I cannot come up with any ideas, then I assign a date that I have to think about removing it again.

I make the reasons clear, with no wiggle room. They become bright line rules.

It keeps me honest and gives me clear instructions on how to make something happen.

Tomorrow I am going to show you how to take the DDC and put it into action in your life now.

Today, I want you to think about some drop dead conditions that you can apply to your closet.