@JT_90Do Not Not Get Things Done
It seems like I’ve read a zillion blog posts on:
- How to get things done
- How to quit being lazy
- How to get/be motivated
- How to stop procrastinating
For me, one thing that’s helped has been to stop thinking “I need to get X accomplished,” and rather try to make a point to not not get things done.
Huh?
As humans, we’re risk adverse. We don’t like to fail. Failure is bad.
Telling myself I need to ensure I don’t fail (i.e. I need to make sure I do not not get things done) is more motivating than thinking about the positive benefits of completing a given task.
What? I thought intrinsic motivation was more powerful than extrinsic motivation? Shouldn’t I do something because I want to do something?
Word. I use this line of thinking for things I don’t want to do. For things I want to do, where I’m intrinsically motivated, I don’t think twice about it. I don’t need any motivation or prodding to watch a basketball game (when I have time). But I do have to work up motivation to clean databases (or dishes, for that matter).
Does it really work?
Not always. Sometimes other stuff gets in the way of productivity: being tired due to lack of sleep, lacking energy from not eating, worrying about details, outside distractions, etc. This line of thinking is just one thing I’ve found that helps.