Read time: 3 min • 2/26/16 • by Michael
Looking for ways to get things done?
You can try to find ways to motivate yourself, but you'll be wasting your time. As crazy as this is going to sound, creating pain and pleasure out of thin air is a lot more powerful than finding ways to motivate yourself.
Do you have kids?
I know that's random...
If you do, do you use negative reinforcement like taking something away from them if they don't give you the behavior you want?
Or offer them a reward so they can continue the behavior you want?
If you don't have any kids, do you remember these things done to you when you were as a child?
Newsflash: this works great for adults too!
There's something missing in our lives as adults, and that's someone to have full control over our rewards or punishment.
Of course there are exceptions like going to jail or losing a job if you don't show up, but we're not talking about that.
The catch is that we have to be able to punish or reward ourselves on our own.
Not a secret, but getting things done when you don't feel like it is how the magic happens...
...but you're about to feel it!
One thing is certain. A lot of people don't get things done, because too much pleasure exist in their lives at the moment.
What do I mean by that?
Let's say you absolutely love going to the gym. Whether you go to the gym to lose weight, stay fit or just to see friends, you associate pleasure with being there.
You can stop going to the gym (painful) for days or weeks or months or until you get things done, and resume your routine of going to the gym will be your reward.
If you keep going to the gym, though, the pleasure you're experiencing from that will take away the motivation you need to get something else done.
Make sense?
On the flip side, you're not experiencing enough pain (not physical, of course—just discomfort) at the moment that's going to push you to get things done.
Take something away from yourself that you have, or stop doing what you normally do until you get something done:
If you want to get things done, avoid too much pleasure and create a painful situation for yourself by taking something away that's in your routine, and make getting it back your goal.
Tip: If you're going to take coffee away from yourself, you gotta love coffee for it work.
The one above works best for me, but you decide which works best for you.
Instead of decreasing your pleasure and increasing your pain like the example above, you'll experience pain or pleasure after your deadline.
Today is February 26 of 2016.
Lets say you give yourself till March 4th to get something done.
That's next Friday.
If you don't get what you need to get done by next Friday, you'll have to sleep on the floor right next to your bed. And your reward will be getting off that hard floor (hopefully, your rug isn't too comfortable) and sleeping in your comfortable bed.
However, if you do accomplish what you want, you'll have to reward yourself. Unlike the first foolproof way to getting things done, something you already have won't be your reward since you didn't take anything away from yourself.
Your reward can be anything.
You choose.
Now go out there and get things done! :-)
— Mike
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