How to Make Obsession Work In Your Favour
Subtle things you don’t pay heed to as far as obsessing over something is concerned
“Don’t get obsessed.”
This is one of the worst pieces of advice I have ever heard.
Not to question or doubt the credibility of someone, but I believe this to be just another of those ‘this-sounds-good advice.’
People often view obsession as a negative thing, similar to how drugs and alcohol are seen as taboo subjects.
Obsession is subconsciously linked to an ‘obsession with something bad’ in our minds. That’s the root of the problem when someone advises you to not be obsessed. But what about the other side of the coin?
What if it’s being used for something positive? Can this happen in the first place? Can we use obsession to achieve something worthwhile in the first place? And if so, then how?
1. Clear bifurcation
We all know what’s good for us, and what’s bad. Well, most of the time.
We just keep ignoring the fact that it needs to be done ASAP and we keep procrastinating about it until it’s high time.
A mental model of clear bifurcation of what’s good and what’s bad can go a long way.
On the sidelines, we also need to accept that we all are humans and we all make mistakes, break streaks, and fall occasionally. But that’s not a problem. It’s totally okay.
What’s more important is to not get trapped into the ‘obsession with the wrong things’ trap.
It’s way better to fail at good places than to succeed at bad places.
Being a big fan of having mental models — because they give clarity when you need it the most — I think it’s cool to have a couple of good ones to provide you with bifurcation for your personal good and bad.
2. Being obsessed
Once this bifurcation is clear, it’s now the time to get obsessed. Obsessed about what? You know it better.
But it’s not like summoning a magical power that you’ll get obsessed with XYZ whenever you want. It’s a much more active process than that in the beginning. Once it becomes part of your routine, it becomes effortless.
Here’s a quick example to illustrate my point:
I have an ongoing streak of 36 days with a total learning time of 1448 minutes (slightly more than a day). It’s just a course I am exploring to know if I am interested in (which I think I am XD).
The Streaks feature of this app is brilliant as it made me come back to learn the subjects every day. What I want to highlight is the fact that it was much more difficult and consuming for me in the initial few days.
Then it became my habit, and now it’s effortless. I can passionately call it one of my long-term obsessions.
To conclude, unlike a worthwhile obsession that demands a substantial amount of initial effort, a bad obsession lures you in effortlessly, like a magnet attracting a metal piece.
It’s also a good litmus test to know whether you’re getting into a good obsession or a bad one — look if it requires effort in the beginning or not.
3. Track your progress
Tracking gives you the confidence to continue progressing.
It’s like that progress bar that is visible on the screen when some program is loading. It gives the closest proximate to when our wait is going to end. We wait diligently.
Tracking our obsession works the same way. We get a good enough approximation of the way we’re traversing.
It’s also important because it plays the role of a median between our highs and lows. Tracking has helped me keep sane when I am feeling down, while also highlighting the fact that I need not overdo something when I'm on a high. Because it will lead to an eventual burnout.
4. Talk about it but…
Talk about it, but don’t be too self-centred.
We all know how being passionate about a subject makes us all-encompassing. We think we need to talk about everything. No!
How this person is going to understand this if I did not cover this aspect, and this… and this too?!
Only if there were any truth in it. Most of the time, it’s fine to just scratch the surface of the topic and if the group as a collective is interested, then only start with the nitty-gritty.
Don’t dump your perspective that being obsessed is the only way to achieve anything worthwhile. It’s merely one of the ways.
5. Sweet part — the result
When it comes to learning, or learning something new, being obsessed with something has blown my mind.
The results feel surreal. The progress feels ecstatic and borderline impossible to achieve. But hey, it’s all real.
Just give your obsession some time and you’ll see wonders. It’s not intended as just another random motivational line on my part.
It’s something we all have experienced at some point in time. It’s just that we forget to take notice and appreciate our obsessions and the immense change they’ve brought. It’s high time :)
