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> Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do? If I find myself unable to do the things I want to do, I have to ask: do I re
by reflexive 10y ago
> Why is it that some lack the discipline to just do things that they want to do?
If I find myself unable to do the things I want to do, I have to ask: do I really want to do these things, or do I just want to want to do them?
Let's say I'm convinced I need to learn a new programming language / library, and study to interview for a new job. But is this new language or new job really the thing that's missing in my life?
Maybe what I really want to do is make some music, or explore my neighborhood. Maybe part of me knows I should be going out, meeting girls, getting married, and starting a family.
When you try to make yourself work on things that don't address your real needs, you end up with priority inversion. If you find yourself saying "I can't do anything until X is done, yet I can't make myself do X", that could be a sign to say "Fuck X, what I really want to do is Y."
- rabidrat 10y agoAnd then some of us look back over two decades of half-finished projects, and think, "Wow, many of these Xes were really cool, I wish I had just sucked it up and finished a few of the Xes, even though at the time all I wanted to do is start yet another project like Y". The real issue is that some humans have a harder time integrating their short-term and long-term desires.
- reflexive 10y agoIt's always possible to revisit a decades-old project and pick up where you left off. If you don't have the time or motivation to finish it today, you can hardly blame your past self for making the same decision. Leaving your abandoned project in a somewhat "working state" can go a long way to facilitate this.