Only advice that has ever worked for me is to set micro-goals for the start of tasks.
Like, stupidly easy goals. Got a paper to write? The goal is to open a new document and type 3 words. Need to go work out? Do 1 push up. Need to clean your room? Put one shirt in the laundry hamper, or take 1 dish to the sink.
That’s it. Stupidly easy. Not feeling it after that? Cool, you already hit your goal. But momentum is a hell of a thing. The majority of the time, I’ll just keep going, precisely because the micro-goals was so easy.
3 words done? Ok that took no time at all. Might as well finish the sentence, maybe even a whole paragraph.
1 push up? I’m already down on the floor, why not do another? Or 10?
I could grab just 1 shirt, or just 1 dish; but I could carry more at the same time. Might as well.
You don’t need to trick your brain into doing the whole task, you just need to trick your brain into starting the task. Momentum will take care of the rest. And on the times that it doesn’t? Well, again, that’s fine. You met your goal already. You don’t HAVE to keep going. That can be enough for now.
I use this trick when I have projects in the garage I need to work on. Don’t feel like working on it? Well I’ll just go stand in the garage for a bit. Next thing I know I’ve been working on it for three hours and I need to force myself to take a break to go eat.
My problem is when I switch into “doing shit mode” my brain fucking pingpongs between doing all the shit, so I’ll work one one thing for like 10 minutes, realize I need to do something else, switch to that, and so on. Which does mean I make progress… but still not a lot gets actually done unless I have some kind of huge breakthrough on something that gives me enough juice to focus on it because I can see the finish line.
Same for me, but I’m screwed if I don’t have the next goal ready and planned before I finish the current one, because if it’s not lined up and ready to go, it’s over as soon as it’s complete.
Only advice that has ever worked for me is to set micro-goals for the start of tasks.
Like, stupidly easy goals. Got a paper to write? The goal is to open a new document and type 3 words. Need to go work out? Do 1 push up. Need to clean your room? Put one shirt in the laundry hamper, or take 1 dish to the sink.
That’s it. Stupidly easy. Not feeling it after that? Cool, you already hit your goal. But momentum is a hell of a thing. The majority of the time, I’ll just keep going, precisely because the micro-goals was so easy.
3 words done? Ok that took no time at all. Might as well finish the sentence, maybe even a whole paragraph.
1 push up? I’m already down on the floor, why not do another? Or 10?
I could grab just 1 shirt, or just 1 dish; but I could carry more at the same time. Might as well.
You don’t need to trick your brain into doing the whole task, you just need to trick your brain into starting the task. Momentum will take care of the rest. And on the times that it doesn’t? Well, again, that’s fine. You met your goal already. You don’t HAVE to keep going. That can be enough for now.
I use this trick when I have projects in the garage I need to work on. Don’t feel like working on it? Well I’ll just go stand in the garage for a bit. Next thing I know I’ve been working on it for three hours and I need to force myself to take a break to go eat.
My problem is when I switch into “doing shit mode” my brain fucking pingpongs between doing all the shit, so I’ll work one one thing for like 10 minutes, realize I need to do something else, switch to that, and so on. Which does mean I make progress… but still not a lot gets actually done unless I have some kind of huge breakthrough on something that gives me enough juice to focus on it because I can see the finish line.
Same for me, but I’m screwed if I don’t have the next goal ready and planned before I finish the current one, because if it’s not lined up and ready to go, it’s over as soon as it’s complete.
Great advice, thanks!