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1. Have less exposure towards super fun things I cannot emphasize enough how powerful this is. If you're struggling to focus on your work/projects, try living
by cdiamand 6y ago
1. Have less exposure towards super fun things
I cannot emphasize enough how powerful this is. If you're struggling to focus on your work/projects, try living a bland existence like a monk for a while. You won't be able to stop thinking about working.
- arkitaip 6y agoCorollary, it takes truly awful times to appreciate the bad times.
- minikites 6y agoIn a similar way, hunger is the best spice.
- faeyanpiraat 6y agoHaving too long of a vacation (eg.: more than 5 days on the beach) makes has this effect on me. It is not about having or not having fun, but being removed from the usual “i could work but also choose not to” environment. On the beach I cannot work even if I wanted to, and it kind of make me want to work.
- polote 6y ago> Have less exposure towards super fun things If that is not "forcing yourself" I don't know what "forcing yourself" means
- cdiamand 6y agoOne of the tricks is to create an environment that doesn't require willpower to avoid distraction. There are plugins that block distractions on your browser. You could sell, or lend out, or put your X-box into storage, etc.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- YinglingLight 6y ago"No Music" is tougher than No Carb, No Fap, No Pillow, No Surf. It's insane what waterfall of dopamine we regularly flood ourselves with.
- Otek 6y agoGreat life. Live like a monk to work more. Thanks, I'd rather be less productive and watch some Youtube during work from time to time. As long as I'm delivering stuff on time I don't need to constantly push myself harder. How should I know how much productivity is productive enough? These articles never bother to explain that.
- cdiamand 6y agoIsn't this subjective and best left up to the goals of the individual?
- kiba 6y agoNot everybody wants to watch youtube or play video games all day as their desired state. It's not about pushing yourself harder, but making you do what you think is important rather than have your brain seeks short term pleasure at the expense of long term well being.
- bidirectional 6y agoNot everyone has a staid worklife, for some people working harder is incredibly important to their long term goals, for varying reasons. Such advice is very valuable to them, obviously it's ridiculous if you're pushing yourself to work harder for a Fortune 500 megacorp. who sees you as a cost centre.
- randcraw 6y agoI think the article's point is that procrastination is caused by your mismanagement of a pleasure gradient. The more you immerse yourself in the portion of the spectrum that is zero-effort and high-reward, the less you're motivated to leave that region, even as empty as it eventually makes you feel and your life becomes. The author almost makes a really good point. The best way to entice yourself back into a more dynamic rhythm of life where you look forward to something is 1) to deprive yourself of it, and 2) not to seek it too soon. Deprivation and anticipation are essential to maintaining a dynamic interesting lifestyle. Without the self-discipline to redirect your attention toward serving more mundane daily needs, you become a hedonist and focus only on getting high and staying there. You become a junkie.
- gspr 6y agoThis advice feels, to me, kind of like saying "Are you bored of your limited cooking skills? Eat gray sludge for a while, and you'll love your old mediocre cooking!" If the solution to being productive is to rid yourself of joys, then screw it, I'll take an unproductive happy life.