The "Heigh-Ho" Project Formula That Helps You Get More Done

Hi — I’m the host of the Grow My Etsy Shop podcast, and this post is my walk-through of a small but powerful productivity idea I call the "Heigh-Ho" project. If you listened to the episode, you already heard me ramble a little (including a public apology to my mom — hi Mom, sorry about last week’s rant), but here on the page I get to be clear, dramatic, and give you practical steps you can use today.

Quick Etsy updates (because I can't help myself)

Before we dive into the Heigh-Ho concept, a few quick Etsy tidbits I noticed this week. If you sell on Etsy, keep an eye out for these little changes — they might affect how you think about advertising and customer trust:

• Etsy temporarily paying for some ads:

  Several shop owners told me their ad accounts showed a message that Etsy was promoting specific listings for free. Sellers couldn’t turn these promotions off — the options were grayed out — and the display compared the free promo’s return on ad spend (ROAS) to what they’d normally pay. One seller had ad costs of $0.33 and a 10x ROAS. Why Etsy would do this? I don’t know for sure. But if you haven’t looked at your ad dashboard lately, now’s a good time.

• Trusted shop and repeat customer stats:

  Etsy has been testing a “trusted shop” display on some storefronts along with showing how many repeat customers you’ve had in the last 90 days. If you have a good repeat-customer rate, this is an awesome thing to have visible — both for customers and for your own business data.

• Community updates:

  I’ve had several of you sign up to be founding members of the new group I’m launching. If you signed up, I’ve got your info and will email you soon when everything’s ready.

Where the Heigh-Ho project idea comes from

The Heigh-Ho project is a 100% internal framework that evolved from a simple image: Snow White’s dwarfs singing “Heigh-ho, heigh-ho” as they march off to work and then start digging. The song’s action — dig, dig, dig — is the heart of this method.

It’s not about finishing a big project in one dramatic push. It’s about adopting a mindset where you let the digging itself be the measure of progress. You show up and dig. Sometimes you’ll hit a gem; sometimes you’ll hit dirt. Either way, you're building a habit that moves things forward.

The boredom detour (yes, it matters)

I went off on a tangent on the podcast because a concept from a Harvard speaker I’ve been listening to ties right into the Heigh-Ho project: boredom is valuable. He talked about three categories of happiness — satisfaction, enjoyment, and purpose — and argued that purpose is most often discovered in boredom.

There was a chilling experiment he mentioned: people put in an empty room for 15 minutes with a big red button that would shock them if pressed. Most people couldn’t resist pressing it out of curiosity rather than enduring the boredom. We now carry devices in our pockets that strip away boredom constantly. That convenience costs us the mental space where purpose can incubate.

So one of the first calls to action I give is simple and dramatic: be bored sometimes. Put your phone away for a walk. Leave it at home when you exercise. Don’t sleep with your phone next to you. These small acts help your brain stretch and give it room to notice the sparks of ideas you might otherwise miss. Those sparks are the seeds of Heigh-Ho projects.

What a Heigh-Ho project actually is

At its core, a Heigh-Ho project is an idea that stays on your to-do list forever — but not in a paralyzing way. It’s the thing you’ve been thinking “someday I’ll get to that” about. It isn’t urgent, it might not have a clear ROI right away, and it doesn’t require daily, immediate effort. Instead, it’s an incubator for slow, accidental progress.

Examples of Heigh-Ho projects for shop owners:

• Setting up an automated email flow to reach repeat customers

• Designing a new product line that doesn’t have a hard launch date

• Planning a wholesale or popup shop presence

• Exploring a new supplier or manufacturing process

• Learning a new marketing skill that will pay off later

These are projects you’ll dig into when you have spare moments — not projects you give a tight deadline and then beat yourself up over. The point is progress through persistent, small digs.

Step-by-step: How to use the Heigh-Ho method

1. Identify one Heigh-Ho project.

   Say it out loud: "This is my Heigh-Ho." It can be small or ambitious. If you’re like many sellers, it might be “I want to set up email automation for customers” or “I want to create wholesale pricing info.”

2. Put it on your to-do list as a carry-over task.

   Don’t bury it in a sticky note or in the back of your brain. Keep it on your list as a low-priority but persistent item.

3. Decide what "digging" looks like.

   Digging is not finishing. Digging might be: opening a tab, jotting down ideas, watching a tutorial, comparing two software options, or trying a small experiment. Define one tiny “dig” you can do in 10–30 minutes.

4. Schedule generous deadlines (optional).

   If you’re a deadline person, give the project a far future deadline — for example, “I want to be at step 3 by December.” The deadline is generous so it doesn’t create pressure; it merely gives a soft horizon.

5. Track digging, not diamonds.

   Your metric is the act of digging. Celebrate the tiny actions. Don’t judge yourself for not finding the gem on the first try.

6. Repeat when you have spare moments.

   Between meetings, waiting for an appointment, sitting in the car, or in an unscheduled 20-minute block — that’s your digging time. You won't always unearth something, and that’s okay. The habit is the win.

An example: The email automation Heigh-Ho

I probably used this example on the podcast because it’s common: you want an email system that reaches repeat customers, but setting it up feels scary. So you put it off.

Here’s how the Heigh-Ho process plays out for that:

1. Pick your Heigh-Ho: "Set up automated email for repeat customers.

2. First dig: Open a browser tab and search for email platforms compatible with Etsy. Spend 10–15 minutes reading high-level comparisons.

3. Second dig: Narrow it to two options. Bookmark both. Small win — you moved from blankness to a decision set.

4. Third dig: Read reviews or watch a short tutorial on one option. Decide you don’t like it. No guilt. You dug and eliminated a choice.

5. Fourth dig: Try the other option’s free plan. Set up a simple welcome email. You’ve started building. You haven’t automated the whole funnel — you dug.

Notice how each action is small but directional. You’re not aiming to launch the entire system in a weekend. You’re cultivating momentum with low-stakes digging.

Mindset rules for Heigh-Ho success

• Dig for the habit, not for the gem.

  The goal is consistent digging. Diamonds are a delightful byproduct, not the objective.

• Be kind to your timeframe.

  If you work better with some structure, give yourself a generous deadline. If not, let it live as a carry-over task.

• Embrace failure as dirt moved.

  Sometimes you dig and nothing shows up. That’s not wasted time — it’s reconnaissance.

• Use boredom as fuel.

  Let your brain sit with ideas. You’ll notice connections and sparks when your phone isn’t grabbing your attention every two minutes.

Why this actually works

There are a few real reasons the Heigh-Ho method beats the all-or-nothing rush:

• Reduces overwhelm:

  A big project becomes a series of tiny digs. Tiny actions feel doable and reduce paralysis.

• Builds momentum:

  Every dig primes you for the next. Momentum compounds.

• Encourages learning:

  You’ll pick up skills and knowledge through low-risk experiments rather than one big, anxiety-inducing push.

• Protects creativity:

  Boredom and small digs make space for unexpected ideas — the kind of insights a schedule-driven sprint often misses.

Practical prompts to start your Heigh-Ho project today

1. Step away from your phone for 20 minutes and ask: "What project do I keep saying I’ll do someday?

2. Write that project down and put it on your to-do list as a low-priority item labeled "Heigh-Ho."

3. Define one 15-minute dig you can take in the next 48 hours. Schedule it if you have to.

4. Celebrate the dig. Put a check mark next to it. Repeat the next time you have a pocket of time.

Final thoughts (and my invitation)

The Heigh-Ho project is as much a practice in patience as it is in productivity. It teaches you how to move forward without the drama, how to build habits that compound, and how to let boredom be a creative engine rather than a thing to avoid. If you want to push a lot of plates but keep your sanity, this is the approach that lets you chip away without burning out.

If you want to be a founding member of my new group where we’ll experiment with ideas like this, I’ve been collecting sign-ups — I’ll email when it’s ready. Until then, be bored, pick your Heigh-Ho, and remember: dig dig dig.

Till next time — dig dig dig dig dig dig.

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