Olga Sokol
Tricky and lazy mind
Our brains weigh only 5% of the body but consume 20% of energy. We should not be offended that mind is tricking us to save the energy because it’s made this way and it is on our side, it’s main purpose is to make us survive.
The conflict is just that nowadays some people (I might be one of them) are obsessed with productivity, goals, missions, getting things done and conquer the world. So what can you do if you find yourself to be one of them?(I'm sorry, I feel you)
First of all, realize that the fact that you don't meet your own expectations on productivity, is caused by biological settings. Don't attach this to your personality feature and cry over it, just work on the strategy to win this game.
So here is the plan:
Make it easy. The more complex task you give to your brain the further you are from the chance to accomplish it. Break it down into easy short chunks that can be done on a regular basis without resistance. The best is to link 🔗 it to some habit that is already automatic. For example, every morning after/while drinking my coffee I will spend 5/10 minutes working on my project.
Be specific. Working on my project might be too general and instead you can plan to look for leads or suppliers. If you feel lazy doing it, talk to your mind, calm it down and say “its just 10 minutes and then you can do what you like”, reward with a checkmark on your list every day, it triggers dopamine and the brain will remember the pleasure. Even when you “don't feel like it”, at least sit in front of the screen with this intention for the planned time. You might feel it is useless but it's not, you actually building a neural framework in your brain for the future.
Gamify. We remain kids that love games. Create challenges for yourself. As soon as you complete the number of tasks, you get a reward, which can be your favourite desert, some new experience you have been dreaming of or a simple recognition like posting your achievement on a social media.
Interestingly, once you apply this to your life, you get better at outplaying the laziness and get more and more pleasure from getting things done.
#lazymind #personaldevelopment
