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This is the premise behind a lot of those habit books. I think it was popularized by BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits. A common example is "commit to flossing just one to

This is the premise behind a lot of those habit books. I think it was popularized by BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits. A common example is "commit to flossing just one tooth, so you're not overwhelmed with the commitment of flossing your whole mouth. If you feel like doing more once you've started, that's fine.". What those books often don't point out is that this approach doesn't work if you're actively avoidant of the habit you want to build. The approach solves forgetfulness or intimidation, not distaste. I bring this up because I read several of these books without getting results and kept wondering what I was doing wrong.

valenceelectron 3y ago
Did you find a solution for tasks you actively avoid? Asking for a friend that needs to finish a thesis...
- spiffytech 3y ago
  For myself, it's very "it depends". Beeminder was helpful for smaller habits, but I'm too scared to pledge a truly painful amount of money, so the cost of failure was often too low to motivate me. When possible, I've found that simply moving to a new setting is helpful. I can crank through tedious tasks if I go somewhere other people are being productive. I like the university library (I graduated long ago, but it's free and open to the public). I work well when I have externally-exposed structure. I reliably make it to the gym when I have a standing appointment with a personal trainer. Working a job with a fixed schedule is easier for me than working a flexible schedule. Back in college, I struggled to keep up with homework but I almost never missed a class. Sometimes I'm surprised at why I'm avoiding something. I thought I just hated doing the dishes, but when I added a clean/dirty marker to the dishwasher I magically started staying on top of it. Turns out the blocker wasn't the chore, it was needing to figure out whether the dishwasher was ready for dirty dishes each and every time I finished eating. Once I no longer had to assess & decide, I could simply act Similarly, if there's a technical task on having trouble getting started with, it goes a lot easier if I just break it down into the most itty-bitty steps I can think of. Sometimes I'm not avoiding the task, but figuring out what the task is.
  - valenceelectron 3y ago
    Thanks for your insights. At the end it's a very personal thing that varies a lot among people. Your statement about the setting is also very much true for me. I do work better in public settings and enjoy the atmosphere of people working around me. Interestingly, this effect seems to wear off. A certain location does not help indefinitely. Switching it up alleviates this problem. But maybe that's just me. Unfortunately, the university library is inconveniently far from my new apartment and the local library has opening hours that are incompatible with my full-time job. Well, I'll find a way.
vonnik 3y ago
Was going to recommend Tiny Habits. The Beeminder thing is such a pressure cooker of motivation, when you can achieve so much by finding the right context and trigger for a small action.

valenceelectron 3y ago

Did you find a solution for tasks you actively avoid? Asking for a friend that needs to finish a thesis...

spiffytech 3y ago
For myself, it's very "it depends". Beeminder was helpful for smaller habits, but I'm too scared to pledge a truly painful amount of money, so the cost of failure was often too low to motivate me. When possible, I've found that simply moving to a new setting is helpful. I can crank through tedious tasks if I go somewhere other people are being productive. I like the university library (I graduated long ago, but it's free and open to the public). I work well when I have externally-exposed structure. I reliably make it to the gym when I have a standing appointment with a personal trainer. Working a job with a fixed schedule is easier for me than working a flexible schedule. Back in college, I struggled to keep up with homework but I almost never missed a class. Sometimes I'm surprised at why I'm avoiding something. I thought I just hated doing the dishes, but when I added a clean/dirty marker to the dishwasher I magically started staying on top of it. Turns out the blocker wasn't the chore, it was needing to figure out whether the dishwasher was ready for dirty dishes each and every time I finished eating. Once I no longer had to assess & decide, I could simply act Similarly, if there's a technical task on having trouble getting started with, it goes a lot easier if I just break it down into the most itty-bitty steps I can think of. Sometimes I'm not avoiding the task, but figuring out what the task is.
- valenceelectron 3y ago
  Thanks for your insights. At the end it's a very personal thing that varies a lot among people. Your statement about the setting is also very much true for me. I do work better in public settings and enjoy the atmosphere of people working around me. Interestingly, this effect seems to wear off. A certain location does not help indefinitely. Switching it up alleviates this problem. But maybe that's just me. Unfortunately, the university library is inconveniently far from my new apartment and the local library has opening hours that are incompatible with my full-time job. Well, I'll find a way.

vonnik 3y ago

Was going to recommend Tiny Habits. The Beeminder thing is such a pressure cooker of motivation, when you can achieve so much by finding the right context and trigger for a small action.