Karl was feeling unproductive and came up with three specific things to combat his rut: watching inspirational YouTube videos daily, reading his bible nightly, and calling family weekly. He designed step-by-step sequences for each, such as choosing videos beforehand and setting alarms. However, he failed to implement the sequences and learned it's important to take immediate action on motivation to set oneself up for success.

1. How I Escaped My Mental
Prison
By Karl Kumodzi
kumodzi@gmail.com

2. The Problem
 I was in a rut. I was feeling UNPRODUCTIVE,
UNINSPIRED, and LAZY.

3. So I Came Up With Three Specific
Things I Could Do To Combat My Rut
1. Watch inspirational Youtube videos every
morning, M-F
2. Read my bible for 5 minutes every night before I
go to sleep
3. Call family back in Togo once a week, Thursday
mornings.

4. Here’s How I Designed To Watch Inspirational
YouTube Videos Every Morning
Sequence

5. Here’s How I Designed To Watch Inspirational
YouTube Videos Every Morning
Sequence
1. Choose a video the night before, have the webpage
open on my computer

6. Here’s How I Designed To Watch Inspirational
YouTube Videos Every Morning
Sequence
1. Choose a video the night before, have the webpage
open on my computer
2. Set an alarm to remind me every morning, 5 minutes
after I wake up

7. Here’s How I Designed To Watch Inspirational
YouTube Videos Every Morning
Sequence
1. Choose a video the night before, have the webpage
open on my computer
2. Set an alarm to remind me every morning, 5 minutes
after I wake up
3. Wake up, hear alarm, watch video

8. Here’s How I Designed To
Read My Bible Every Night
Sequence

9. Here’s How I Designed To
Read My Bible Every Night
Sequence
1. Set the bible in a permanent resting spot next to my bed

10. Here’s How I Designed To
Read My Bible Every Night
Sequence
1. Set the bible in a permanent resting spot next to my bed
2. Write instructions on a piece of paper and put it on my
pillow

11. Here’s How I Designed To
Read My Bible Every Night
Sequence
1. Set the bible in a permanent resting spot next to my bed
2. Write instructions on a piece of paper and put it on my
pillow
3. Before I go to bed, look at the pillow and remember to
read my bible

12. Here’s How I Designed To
Read My Bible Every Night
Sequence
1. Set the bible in a permanent resting spot next to my bed
2. Write instructions on a piece of paper and put it on my
pillow
3. Before I go to bed, look at the pillow and remember to
read my bible
4. Put the paper on top of my laptop so in the morning
before I watch the Youtube video, I see it and put it back
on my pillow for the following night

13. Here’s How I Designed To
Call Family Once A Week
Sequence
1. Create a list of “favorites” on my phone composed of
family members that I want to call on a regular basis
2. Set alarm for 11am every Thursday, repeated for the
quarter
3. When the alarm rings, go to the list of favorites, and call
the first person
a) Move one spot down the list every week

14. Here’s How I Designed To
Call Family Once A Week
Sequence

15. Here’s How I Designed To
Call Family Once A Week
Sequence
1. Create a list of “favorites” on my phone composed of
family members that I want to call on a regular basis

16. Here’s How I Designed To
Call Family Once A Week
Sequence
1. Create a list of “favorites” on my phone composed of
family members that I want to call on a regular basis
2. Set alarm for 11am every Thursday, repeated for the
quarter

17. Here’s How I Designed To
Call Family Once A Week
Sequence
1. Create a list of “favorites” on my phone composed of
family members that I want to call on a regular basis
2. Set alarm for 11am every Thursday, repeated for the
quarter
3. When the alarm rings, go to the list of favorites, and call
the first person
a) Move one spot down the list every week

18. Results
 I created these great sequences, but I failed to
implement them and set myself up for success
 I learned that it’s important to take advantage of the
increase in motivation that I had while coming up with
these sequences
 If I had set up my calendar and all the things needed to
start the sequences as soon as I had gotten out of class, I
wouldn’t have forgotten and/or been too lazy to later on

19. The End