Thanks for trying GOOFHEAD.

My idea is to turn this system into an app to make it easier, more fun,
and more social.

I’m giving you a sneak preview because I want to make sure the
concept hooks before I spend a bunch of money on development.

So give this a read and try it out for a week.

Here's what I would love to hear from you

1. Any general thoughts about the whole concept. Did it help? Did it
suck? Did you still do it anyway?

2. What did you do on your breaks?

3. What did you do when you were 'stuck?' (exercises, conversation

with yourself, word-association games, etc.)

4. Did you modify it in anyway to make it work better for you?

5. How many total sessions you did.

6. Would you use an application that made it seamless and fun and
encouraging and 'social?'
 What the fuck is GOOFHEAD?
GOOFHEAD AKA “Get Out Ofyour Fucking Head” AKA The ULTIMATE
creativity and productivity system for the distracted and
social media addicted who are ready to do what they said they
were gonna do.

My most effective and resonant work has come as direct result of

GOOFHEAD.

I use it when I'm stuck in my head spinning ‘round & ‘round. Or when I’m
daydreaming about the good ‘ol days when “inspiration” used to come
so easy. Or when I catch myself scrolling Instagram until it bottoms
out and says:

"HOLY SHIT, BRO. THERE ARE LITERALLY

NO MORE POSTS. GO OUTSIDE, FOR FUCKS SAKE.”
I use it to:

• Create social media content.

• Write marketing emails.
• Brainstorm ideas.
• Make products.
• Plan campaigns.
• Do client work.
• And on and on…

GOOFHEAD-in-progress.Not staged. What kind of

psycho would bring a photographer with him to
pretend to work?
I’ve been testing, tweaking and refining it for years doing hard
emotional and intellectual labor.

Because here’s one thing I know for sure:

When we feel stuck…

Or when we don't know what to do.

Or what to say.
Or everything feels hard.
Or we have "writer's block."
Or "creator's block."
Or we're questioning everything.
Or even when our heads our exploding with ideas
and we just can't decide which one to start with.

We end up doing jackshit. And that ain't good.

“Just start,” they said.

You already know you "just have to start.” And that advice is all well ’n
good, but we’ve heard it way too many times, so I'm not gonna lay it on
you again.

But what about when you don’t know what to

start with?
I’ll tell you.
You start with GOOFHEAD.

It doesn’t matter what the actual thing you need to do looks like, start
with GOOFHEAD.

If you have to make videos and you you don’t know what to talk
about, GOOFHEAD.

If you have to send a proposal to a prospective client,

GOOFHEAD.

If you want to come up with a good idea to post on Instagram,

don’t scroll the timeline or your photos looking for “inspiration.”
GOOFHEAD, baby.

If you want to get back in the dating game and you gotta make a
profile on match.com, GOOFHEAD, player.

If you have to come up with an outline for your workshop and

you forgot what the hell you’re even doing, GOOFHEAD will reveal
all.

If you have to write, write with GOOFHEAD.

“But I fucking hate writing.”

Me too.
But I LOOOOOVE having written. It's one of the best feelings in the
world.

But it’s less about the writing
than it is the good things
that come with publishing:
accomplishment,
adoration, and
moneyyyyyyyyy.
And GOOFHEAD isn’t about
“writing” so much as it is
about developing confidence through productive habits, positive
reference experiences, and TRUST.
“Writing organizes and clarifies our
thoughts. Writing is how we think our way
into a subject and make it our own.
Writing enables us to find out what we
know—and what we don’t know—about
whatever we’re trying to learn.”
-WILLIAM ZINSSER

Training Trust with GOOFHEAD

When I'm feeling stuck, the reason I don’t “just start” comes to down
to one thing:

TRUST.

Rather, a lack of trust.

In myself.

I don't trust that the words will come.

Or that the idea I chose is the 'right one.'
Or that I won’t finish.
Or that it's not good enough.

It’s a helluva lot easier to “just start” when we trust that the ideas will
be there.

When we trust our powers of creativity and imagination will work

their magic.

When we trust that if we do, in fact, “just start,” we’re gonna get shit
done.

That’s what GOOFHEAD is all about.

You can’t trust inspiration because you can’t

control inspiration.
So we don’t need it.

All you need to do is act like a professional.

What does a professional do?

They show up and do what they said they were gonna do.

Here’s how GOOFHEAD will help you do just

that.
I'm always experimenting, trying to find new ways to trick myself
into enough trust to “just start” and get shit done.

And as far as I can tell, underneath all the methods and techniques I’ve
used successfully, the driving force is LEVERAGE.

I’ve got to have leverage over myself to “just start.”

And just as, if not more important, to JUST FINISH.

GOOFHEAD is all about gaining leverage through a renewed

commitment to a tool within arms reach of you right now:

The Timer/Stopwatch app on your phone.

So you’re not building reliance on an environment,

situation, or mood that might be unavailable when you
really need it.

When you start a GOOFHEAD session, you’re in until it’s

over.

When the clock is ON, you are ON.

RESPECT THE CLOCK. 🍆
Like Pavlov style. You’re retraining yourself to associate “TIMER
TICKING” with you “just start’ing.” And JUST DOING what you said
you were gonna do.
 Like a GOD DAMN PROFESSIONAL.
I’m GOOFHEAD’ing this book right now and as much as I want to stop
and fire up my favorite distraction, I can’t do it.

The GOOFHEAD is sacred.

The GOOFHEAD is the

path.

When I don’t trust the

path is gonna get me
where I wanna go, the
whole system comes
unglued.

So until this session ends,

my hands will not leave
the keyboard.
 HOW TO GOOFHEAD
1. Get Your Shit Together.
2. Decide what you’re gonna do. (pick a
GOOFHEAD sequence.)
3. Do what you said you were gonna do.

1. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.

A. Get water or whatever you will need so
you don't have an excuse to stand up or
cheat, and weaken the system and
resultant reference experiences.
B. Open your favorite writing application.
Notes, Pages, Word, Google Docs,
whatever.
"Write now; edit later.”
I use DRAFT, a free web-based word
processing app. It has a handy feature
called ‘Hemingway Mode’ that
deactivates the backspace key, our
worst enemy.

2. DECIDE WHAT YOU’RE GONNA DO

GOOFHEAD Sequences aren’t just arbitrary numbers and blocks of
time to dabble with.

You pick one and you fucking complete the shit. Every single time.
Even (and especially) if you hate everything that comes out.
 How to Start a GOOFHEAD:

If it’s your first one, create a new document and put the date at the
top. Use that that document for 4-7 days before you start a new one.

Because fuck a blank page, son.

But also not, because the more reference experiences you have of
you surmounting a blank page and coming out the other side with
some rad shit, the better.

So break it sometimes. Or when a blank page is calling to you.

If and when these sessions lead you somewhere interesting and you
want to explore an idea even more, copy & paste it into a new
document and work on it there.

What to Write First

First, say what you’re gonna do. That is, write what GOOFHEAD
sequence you’re gonna do and riff on it:

“I’m gonna do a Level 1 GOOFHEAD, god dammit. And I’m gonna finish it.
Because I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggoneit, people
like me.”

Or whatever. BUT SAY IT.

Because when you finish, you’ll have another reference
experience of you doing what you said you were gonna do.

If you’re stuck, try to get out of

“CONTENT MODE.”
Try not to think about writing articles, or social media posts, or blog
posts, or books, or anything formal.

Or even anything that you plan to publish.

Check out this passage from Ray Bradbury’s “Just This Side of
Byzantium:

“This book, like most of my books and stories was a

surprise. I began to learn the nature of such surprises,
thank god, when I was fairly young as a writer. Before
that, like every beginner, I thought you could beat,
pummel, and thrash an idea into existence. . .

“It was with great relief, then, that in my early twenties

I floundered into a word-association process in which I
simply got out of bed each morning, walked to my
desk, and put down any word or series of words that
happened along in my head. I would then take arms
against the word, or for it, and bring on an assortment
of characters to weigh the word and show me its
meaning in my own life. An hour or two hours later, to
my amazement, a new story would be finished and done.
The surprise was total and lovely. I soon found that I
would have to work this way for the rest of my life.”
 Just say what you’re thinking.
“Holy fuck this is the stupidest thing ever. Why the hell did I ever tell
Ryan I would try this? And why the fuck is it called GOOFHEAD? What an
idiot. Holy shit I just want to fucking kill someone right now.”

You would be straight fucking frightened if you saw some of the things
I write when I get stuck. I’ll type my name like 17 times and then morph
it into giving myself nicknames.

“Ryan Orrico Ryan James Orrico Ryan Orrico Ryan

Orrico Ryan Orrico Flyin Ryan Orrico Cryin Ryan
Orrico Lyin Ryan Orrico Zion Ryan Orrico Zion? What
the fuck is Zion? Isn’t that a Bob Marley song. Bob was
cool. What a weird name for that dude to have. His son
Ziggy’s name is more appropriate. Fucking Bob. What
about that time Hosenose Bobby Hoselton ratted you
out for making that bomb behind Ace Hardware. That
stupid fuck got caught because he took the rollerblades
he got for Christmas out in THE GOD DAMN SNOW. I
fuckin booked it and got away and about 15 minutes
after I got home, a cop pulled up to the house with
FUCKING BOBBY in the backseat pointing. Rat
bastard. He’s cool though.”

Which, btw, if I were to keep going on that, I could easily spin it into a
funny piece of actual content with the story about my best friend
Bobby.
I could even make it more-than-entertaining by shifting into some
backstory about how I was a shy, skinny kid and a mediocre athlete
and I still got away from the cops.

I wasn’t thinking about any of that until I started typing my name a

bunch of times, and then rhyming it, and then questioning the rhyme.
Ryan > Zion > Bob Marley > Bobby my friend.

Or write the first word or phrase that comes to mind beginning with
every letter of the alphabet. Go from A to Z and then back to A. I do
this all the time.

Or have a conversation with yourself or one of the voices in your head.

Write the lyrics to the song that you’re listening to. Or the lyrics from
your favorite song. Add your own flavor to it.

Whatever you do, just keep going.

After each ON-BLOCK, you take short (30s-5m) breaks. Without
looking at social media.

(see the upcoming section: Rules for Breaks)

There are 4 levels.

If you've been stuck for a while, or you’re pressed for time, just start
with Level 1 and reward yourself when it's done.
If you've been cruising and you just need a little push, start with
Level 2.

Once you’ve completed a few of these, move on to Level 3 and 4.

The Sequences I use most are on the next page.

Soon enough, Level 4 will be your warmup.

 GOOFHEAD Sequences. TM

Patent Pending AF.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

(24 mins) (40 mins) (1 hour) (90 mins)
2 minutes ON 2 minutes ON 5 minutes ON 5 minutes ON
30s OFF 30s OFF 30s OFF 30s OFF
5 minutes ON 5 minutes ON 10 minutes ON 10 minutes ON
30s OFF 30s OFF 2m OFF 30s OFF
5 minutes ON 5 minutes ON 10 minutes ON 10 minutes ON
30s OFF 30s OFF 2m OFF 30s OFF
10 minutes ON 10 minutes ON 15 minutes ON 15 minutes ON
DONE 2m OFF 2m OFF 2m OFF
15 minutes ON 15 minutes ON 15 minutes ON
DONE 2m OFF 2m OFF
20 minutes ON 20 minutes ON
DONE 5m OFF
25 minutes ON
DONE
 RULES FOR BREAKS:
1. NO SOCIAL MEDIA OR
EMAIL OR TEXT
MESSAGES. PROTECT
YOUR MIND.

2. For 30second breaks,

you stay in the chair. Maybe
take some deep breaths,
maybe move your neck,
maybe your shoulders, maybe your upper spine.

3. For 2-5 minute breaks, you can stand up and do what needs
doing, but try your damndest to not consume any media. Especially
social fucking media.

If you complete a round you catch yourself craving a quick scroll-sesh.

DON’T.
But. I’m a reasonable man. And I understand
the seductive powers of the social medias.
So if you “slip up” or you just can’t help
yourself, there are three GOOFHEAD-
approved(ish) uses of social media on the
next page:
 GOOFHEAD-approved(ish) uses of social media
1. Publishing your own work.
2. Responding to comments and DM’s.
3. Leaving comments on other people's content.

SCROLLING IS PROHIBITED AS FUCK.

But if you do succumb and take a [no scroll] social media break, you
will inevitably see other people’s content - so pay attention to how
you feel when you do.

For me, it only takes a few seconds for my mind to completely

disengage from the ideas I was just completely absorbed in. I would be
curious to hear any thoughts or personal insights you have about this.

3. FINISH AND WALK AWAY

When you finish a sequence, stop what you’re doing and walk away.

Especially if you’re in the middle of a sentence. That’s exactly

where you want to be.

Condition yourself to knowing that when you walk away from doing the
work, you will be able to pick up where you left off and keep going.

So just stop and walk away. Let yourself be excited to get back at it.
It’ll be there when you get back.
Walk away and let your mind wander.

You'll likely find some new exciting insight building on what you were
just working on.

But leaving when you want more is better than leaving because you
feel empty.

We want to condition ourselves to know that when we come back to

it, we’ll be cruising.

That incomplete sentence is the best device

for the job.
And you even get to come back to page that isn’t fucking blank. 🤯

Remember, we’re not writing your Magnum Opus or the next

great novel.

We’re training ourselves to do ‘deep work.’ To do hard

emotional labor without relying on fickle ass inspiration.

And to do it while we’re actively resisting our urge to check social

media and text messages.

It’s about the reps. And the confidence that comes through
unwavering commitment to the GOOFHEAD process.
Really, there are probably a shit ton of ways you could systematize
your commitment to doing what you said you were gonna do.

But you’re not doing any of those.

GOOFHEAD is designed to be accessible, doable, and fun.

And when it sucks shit, at least you did it.

And that’s another reference experience for

your professional ass self.