The Productivity Hack of Tying Yourself to the Ship's Mast

Sometimes, an uncanny approach is what works

“If, when I hear the voices of the mermaidens, I struggle and sign to thee to set me free, then bind me with yet more bonds,” said Odysseus.

In the Odyssey, one of two major epic poems of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer, we are introduced to Odysseus, king of Ithaca.

Odysseus was a great and victorious king.

However, after winning the Trojan War, one challenge stood before him and his army: crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

The sea was inhabited by beautiful mermaids called Sirens. Even more beautiful than the Sirens' faces were their lovely voices.

But then you must sail on past the Sirens’ island, those creatures who spellbind any man alive who comes their way. Whoever draws too close, off guard, and catches the Sirens’ voices in the air—no sailing home for him, no wife rising to meet him, no happy children beaming up at their father’s face.

Circe, one of Odysseus's friends, warned him.

Odysseus knew his end goal - crossing the sea and getting home. Any sailor who had tried before failed and was killed by the Sirens.

However, Odysseus had a brilliant idea. He instructed his crew:

• To plug their ears with beeswax and

• Tie him tightly to the mast.

• To ignore his pleas and tie him tighter if he begged to be released.

“So you must bind me with tight ropes, upright against the mast, lashed to its base, and if I plead with you or order you to set me free, you must tie me tighter with more ropes.” Odysseus exclaimed (Odyssey, Book 12, lines 153–164, Fagles translation)

As the tale is told, Odysseus begged to be released as their ship crossed the mermaid-laden island.

However, the ears of his crew were sealed shut using beeswax. No one could hear.

I tried to put myself in Odysseus's shoes and imagined how I would be screaming, trying to get untied to rush to the mermaids with beautiful voices and faces.

The ship eventually crossed the island, and Odysseus’s strategy had worked.

Why is this important in today’s world?

Because the Sirens still exist today and stand in our way to achieving the goals we set.

However, they exist not as beautiful mermaids, but as distractions on social media and the desire for instant gratification.

When we tie ourselves to the mast as Odysseus, we intentionally design our environments to avoid any form of distraction that holds us back from achieving our goals.

Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Workweek, adopts the same strategy. He told the Business Insider:

“First on the list was keeping his smartphone on airplane mode about 80% of each day…This is particularly critical post-dinner all the way until I finish my morning routine the next day,’ he said. … That way he’s not constantly interrupting his schedule with a series of minor distractions.”

Ferriss ties himself to the ship's mast by disabling his ability to get calls, texts, emails, social media, and news updates from his phone for most of each 24-hour period.

“In my own experience, I’ve found it useful to keep my phone in a fixed location when I’m at home or work, rather than carrying it with me at all times. This makes it less likely that I’ll mindlessly check it during moments of downtime. … By creating small barriers to access, you can significantly reduce the pull of low-value distractions.” Newport wrote in Digital Minimalism.

This week, learn to design your environment intentionally to achieve your goals.

Adopt these habits:

• Identify what your siren is—a distraction? Checking your phone?

• Intentionally create an environment that helps avoid these distractions. e.g. leave it in the other room or turn off notifications.

• Force yourself to work without the distractions until it becomes normal for you.

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