Motivation trick
Tuesday I had a pretty unproductive day, so Wednesday I tried one of my favorite motivation tricks with good success. I decided I'd work ten hours of really working, then go home. The clock had to stop for breaks and activities like reading news sites or my e-mail. There were definitely times during the day that I would have given in to the temptation to surf the web, but didn't because I'd get home later. And having worked a full day I feel like I can go on break with a clear conscience. I even spent the last hour working on a grant application I've been putting off, and turned it from notes into something resembling a rough draft.
I've used this trick before, and it's sometimes been successful and sometimes not. I think it is particularly useful on days (like yesterday) when nobody else is around, there's no way to break down my goal into achievable steps, and I have some sort of self-bribe waiting at the end of the day.
I've used this trick before, and it's sometimes been successful and sometimes not. I think it is particularly useful on days (like yesterday) when nobody else is around, there's no way to break down my goal into achievable steps, and I have some sort of self-bribe waiting at the end of the day.