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Trick Yourself Into Productivity the Same Way You Trick Yourself Into Procrastination — Here’s How
Your brain already knows how to keep you distracted. Use the same psychology to stay focused and get ahead.
Six months ago, I decided to run 5 kilometers every morning. For the first couple of days, I was enthusiastic and highly motivated. It was not until I hit a few pitfalls, excuses, that I lost some of that upbeat emotion. “It’s too cold.” “I didn’t get enough sleep.” “I will go tomorrow.”
One morning, I felt particularly slow and lazy. After getting dressed, I thought, even if I don’t feel like running, I’ll just walk to the corner and back. About three minutes into my walk, I was running with vigor. The wind was energizing, and my heart was pounding with exhilaration. That morning turned out to be one of the fastest runs I had done in weeks.
I realized this not only changed the way I think about my productivity but also that if I could fool myself out the door to run, I could fool myself into working harder, focusing more, and getting more done. The answer is a definite yes.
We can fool ourselves into watching another episode of a TV show — “just one more” or playing another game on our phone “just one more.” But what if we…
