So I kept seeing folks mention “Pat Patton method” in productivity groups but never paid attention. Then last Tuesday hit me like a truck – missed three deadlines, boss yelled about quarterly reports, forgot to pick up cat food. My kitchen counter? Looked like paperwork tsunami. Grabbed my cold coffee and said: “Screw this. Let’s see what Pat Patton’s about.”
The Awkward Start
First mistake: Thought it was some fancy app. Searched Play Store for “Pat Patton” – got car mechanics and basketball players. Felt real stupid when I realized it’s literally just pen and paper. Dug out my kid’s half-used school notebook, flipped to blank page. Wrote Monday’s date in shaky handwriting. Already wanted to quit.
My Kitchen Table Experiment
- Step 1: At 6AM dumped all my chaos on paper. “Email backlog” “Project X report” “Fix leaky faucet” “Vet appointment”. Even wrote “shower” and “eat lunch” cause I kept skipping those
- Step 2: Drew stars (★★★) by three nastiest tasks. Chose quarterly report first cause boss was breathing down my neck
- Step 3: Started timer on microwave – 45 minutes. Worked till alarm beeped
- Step 4: Drew fat X through quarterly report. Felt like winning lottery
By Thursday something weird happened. Actually finished work stuff at 4PM. Didn’t know what to do with hands. Stared at ceiling fan for ten minutes straight.
The Real Win Nobody Talks About
Friday’s magic moment: Wife suddenly asked about weekend trip planning. Normally this sends me into panic – my work plate’s always overflowing. But I flipped to Patton page with zero red stars left. Said “Yep – let’s book tickets now” with zero stress. Saw her jaw actually drop. That peace? Priceless.
Three Raw Truths After Week One
- No secret sauce. Just forcing me to pick TODAY’S fire instead of staring at all fires
- Crossing out tasks gives stupid little dopamine hits. Felt like third grader getting gold stars
- Works because it’s dumb simple. No login. No software updates. When coffee spills on paper? I scribble on another sheet
Should’ve done this years ago instead of downloading seventeen planner apps. My cat? Gained two pounds now that I actually remember cat food.