· 2 min read
Make yourself do it
How do you exercise discipline? What stops it? It's emotions. How do you overcome your emotions and short-term impulses?
All of our problems are emotional problems. Logical problems are solved easily. The emotional problem is how we feel.
We seek books that tell us the same thing in a different way that eases how we feel. i.e. how we feel impacts us.
We need a strong why to do things. And here may be some ways to ease your emotions to do it.
Below are a few mental patterns that can be used to “Make yourself Do it”. Treat these as thought experiments.
Thought Experiments
Turn off your brain. And do it
Don’t think. Don’t rationalize. You know what the activity is, just do it.
Imagine how you’d feel once you have accomplished this small task
- The feeling of accomplishment.
- Not having anything over your head.
- Free to do other things.
Be mindful of how you are feeling and then continue feeling it while you do the item
Just get started and wait for 20 min
If you get this task done, you don’t have to think about it again
You won’t have anything hanging over your head.
How will you reward yourself after doing this task? Or what will you do during the break?
What would this look like if this were easy?
Winners do it regardless of how they feel
Make things compelling
- What you do
- Why you do
- How you do
- Where you do
- With whom you do
Fit that image of a brighter future in your mind
If you can’t fit an image of a brighter future, imagine exercising your discipline
Conclusion
Humans are stronger than we things. We need to exercise our wills. The most useful advice I have found is just make yourself do it. Eventually, the reward is so large and obvious that you’ll do it anyways.