The Toddler Trick That Can Transform Your Productivity

No one is more creative than a toddler at bedtime. #IYKYK

“I need water.”

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Can we read another book?”

“I need my Spider-Man stuffie. No, the other one.”

If it’s time for bed, they’ve got an endless supply of things that must happen first.

But how different are we, as adults, when we don’t want to do something?

• We spend half the meeting catching up with colleagues instead of starting that important project.
• We color-code spreadsheet headers and adjust font sizes instead of executing the task they outline.
• We keep swiping through TikTok and Reddit instead of getting the sleep we know we need.

We can always find plenty of things to do other than the thing we need to do.

Maybe we can harness that into something useful?

One habit I’ve been building is noticing when I’m avoiding something the way my children do at bedtime.

If I start stacking up reasons to avoid something, I know there are opportunities lurking nearby.

Because, much like my children, I want to spend more time playing and less time doing things I don’t want to do.

So I see my own resistance as a way to fan the flames of creativity.

Turn Resistance into a System

When I find myself avoiding something because it’s boring or repetitive, I try to lean into it.

Instead of avoiding it entirely, I try to innovate my way out of it by building a system.

If this is a recurring task I don’t want to do, building a system becomes an exciting way to never have to deal with that task again.

This frees me up to do what I want to do more.

Shredding Paperwork

I love getting new clients, but I hate preparing the paperwork after they’ve agreed to the proposal. It’s just copying and pasting and moving information from one tool to another.

So I built an automation that converts the proposal into a scope of work, drops the SOW into my agreement template, and sends it off to my new client for signature.

Now, instead of getting the paperwork done a day or two later, I click a few buttons and it’s done.

Outreaching on My Own Time

I love going on new podcasts. It’s a great way to build visibility, meet new people, and drive interest in my different offerings. But I’d mostly just kept pushing it further down my to-do list since getting on shows can be time-intensive.

I have to find the shows, research each one to make sure it’s a good fit, find contact info, and then write a customized pitch that blends what I talk about with the focus and goals of the show.

So I built a multi-step automation to turn hours into minutes. I do the first part of finding shows that look interesting. I then clip those to a database, which triggers an automation to gather intel on the show, the host, and 5-10 recent guests. It creates a summary of what the show is about and ideally looks for in a guest. It then takes my bio, list of topics, and my current priorities, and writes a customized pitch that positions me as an ideal guest based on what the show is looking for. If I’m not a fit, the system tells me.

Now I can go through each show, review and tweak the pitches, and send.

Building an Accountability Partner

When I’m in meetings (Zoom or in-person), I am LOCKED IN.

• I am actively listening.
• I am offering resources and guidance.
• I am laying out next steps.

However, the minute I get off a meeting, I’m locked in on whatever is next up on my calendar.

This can lead to missed or delayed promises if I’m not diligent.

I try to go through my AI-generated call notes, but it can be time-consuming to get next steps into my project management software (Asana). After I go through each one to make sure it actually needs to be done, I then have to create the task, assign it, and add relevant context for each one. Since it’s not a fun task, I avoid it more than I should.

So I built a system that automatically reviews every one of my call overviews and full transcripts, identifies the actual tasks that need to be done, and creates the tasks in Asana.

Now, all I need to do is approve or deny each to add it into our workflows or delete it.

Don’t Skip It. Solve It.

The next time you catch yourself procrastinating like a toddler at bedtime, pause and ask: “What system could I build to never deal with this again?”

Your resistance isn’t a character flaw. It’s your creative brain telling you there’s a better way to do this work or that it wants to play instead.

Listen to it, lean into it, and build your way out of the boring stuff.

Maybe the goal isn’t just to get things done. It’s to free up your time and energy for the work that actually makes an impact.