Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink.
Today, we are going to learn about how to trick your brain to like doing hard things.
Now, let’s begin.
1.
Micro-Goals Do you have trouble accomplishing your goals?
Every time you try to work, learn, or improve, you find yourself falling back into old habits.
You don’t make any progress.
You don’t finish anything new.
Instead, you feel guilty for wasting your time.
Why does your brain avoid doing difficult things?
The problem isn’t your brain; it’s the goals you want to accomplish.
Chances are your goals are way too big.
Your brain thinks about these huge goals, and it gets overwhelmed by fear, uncertainty,
and anxiety.
For example, let’s say you want to learn how to play guitar.
You decide to learn one of your favorite songs, even though you’ve never played the guitar
before.
So what happens?
When you start to play, you realize you have no idea what you’re doing.
You can barely get started, because the goal laid out in front of you… is too difficult
for your brain to understand all at once.
But you can amplify your productivity using micro-goals.
Micro-goals trick your brain into doing difficult things.
How?
By dividing each difficult task into small, bite-sized pieces.
Let’s go back to our example.
Instead of learning your favorite song on guitar, learn one basic chord.
When you’ve learned the first one, learn another.
And another.
Eventually, you’ll be able to play all the chords in your favorite song.
In other words, you have tricked your brain by separating one large goal into several
micro-goals.
Fortunately, you can make micro-goals for almost anything in your life.
You can separate healthy habits into smaller chunks.
You can turn any overwhelming project into a list of mini projects.
Each time you break something down into smaller pieces, you’re making it easier for your
brain to overcome hurdles and be productive.
If you’re still having trouble, your goals may not be small enough.
Experiment with your micro-goals until they’re easy and accessible.
Little by little, you’ll check those goals off your to-do list, and you’ll trick your
brain into achieving a lifelong dream.
2.
Listen to Music Music is a powerful tool for your productivity.
It has a profound effect on your mood, your motivation, and your confidence.
When you’re listening to a good song, its energy translates onto your work.
You might find yourself tackling a huge project without even thinking… all thanks to the
right music.
But music isn’t always helpful.
Sometimes, it can be really distracting.
Listening to certain kinds of music can damage your work ethic instead of helping you tackle
big projects.
So it’s important to find the genre of music that helps you work faster and easier.
Experts recommend listening to music without lyrics.
Lyrics are often an unwelcome distraction in the workplace.
Not only do they clog your brain with extra words, but you’re also more likely to sing
along.
And that takes your attention away from your work.
Songs without lyrics offer an encouraging beat, a high-energy rhythm, or an uplifting
soundscape that empowers your brain to concentrate harder.
That’s why classical and jazz instrumentals are perfect for working and studying.
When you listen to these instrumentals, you’ll notice your work doesn’t seem so difficult.
The music relieves some of your apprehension and stress.
You’re no longer fighting yourself for every second of productivity.
Instead, you’re bouncing along to a peppy tune, working efficiently and stress-free.
3.
Small Blocks We talked about splitting up your goals, but
you can also divide your time.
Many people struggle to get started on their work, because they’re overwhelmed by the
amount of time they have to spend on a project.
You may think to yourself, “this project is going to take at least 8 hours.”
So you imagine yourself working for 8 hours straight; and that image keeps you from getting
started on time.
Instead, you search for a distraction.
Something to delay the inevitable.
Maybe you stall on your phone, browse the internet, or watch TV.
You might say, “I’ll get started in 5 minutes.”
But time wasters quickly spiral out of control.
Before you know it, you’ll have wasted an entire afternoon.
Here’s why you’re procrastinating.
You have unreasonable expectations of yourself.
You expect yourself to work with 100% focus for 8 hours straight, but hardly anyone can
work that way.
Yes, a project might take a long time, but you don’t have to tackle your projects in
one sitting.
Try to break your time down into smaller blocks.
Don’t bother working for hours on end.
Just work for 30 minutes at a time.
If that’s too much, try 15 minutes.
Tell yourself, “I’ll work at my best for 15 minutes, then I’ll stop and do something
else.”
99% of the time, that’s all the motivation you need.
Because the most important thing… is getting started.
You overcame the initial hurdle.
You dove into your work, and now that you’ve gotten started… you may find yourself working
a lot longer than you intended.
Most of the time, people wildly surpass the small interval they set for themselves at
the beginning.
Because once you’ve started your work, it’s much easier to keep plugging away.
Sure, you may not work for 8 hours straight.
You may not finish every project in one sitting.
But each time, you’re completing a healthy chunk of your work.
And that’s something to celebrate.
4.
Create Variety Your brain craves novelty, diversity, and
variety.
In other words, it doesn’t like to do the same things over and over again.
Unfortunately, the hardest things are often repetitive and boring.
To learn a skill, you have to practice for hours and hours.
You may have to do the same exercises, sit in the same place, or stare at the same screen.
And that gets old fast.
If you want to trick your brain into doing something difficult, it’s time to infuse
variety into your work.
The easiest way to create variety in your personal or professional life… is to change
your environment.
Working in a different location gives you an entirely new perspective on the work you’re
doing.
It also changes the mindset you do it with.
Imagine working at home versus working in a cafe.
Working at home is quiet and sometimes lonely.
You’re the only one in the house, so you’re susceptible to common distractors like your
phone or your TV.
Working in a café, on the other hand, is busy and motivating.
You’re surrounded by life and background noise.
Sure, the hustle and bustle can be distracting, but the variety of any new environment may
inspire you to do something you couldn’t do before.
Changing your environment isn’t the only way to add variety to your work life.
Not everyone can change the place where they work, but everyone can change their approach.
Right now, you might be doing the same monotonous things over and over again.
Every day, it gets harder to motivate yourself to rise to the occasion.
To put it plainly, you’re not excited about the work you’re doing.
For example, let’s say you are practicing to run a 5k.
Every day, you go out and run the same route, there and back.
You were excited at first, but it’s getting harder to motivate yourself each day.
Your excitement is fading, because you need to spice up your routine.
You need to add variety to your life, because variety excites and entertains your brain.
Maybe you drive to a park and run along a path you’ve never taken.
Maybe you switch up your exercises or try a new workout routine.
Whatever project, goal, or habit you’re trying to accomplish, don’t be afraid to
change things up.
Get creative.
Try a different approach.
Do something you’ve never done before.
You may discover something difficult… has become easy and exciting.
5.
Pressure Yourself One of the best ways to trick your brain…
is to create more pressure.
I’m talking about deadlines, due dates, and word counts.
If you need to get something done, a sense of urgency gives your brain the kick in the
pants you’re looking for.
This may be the reason you’ve never accomplished your goals.
You don’t have a deadline.
You may say to yourself, “I’ll get it done someday.”
But someday never comes.
And you continuously procrastinate the goals that matter to you most.
If this sounds familiar, it’s time to set some boundaries.
Build hard deadlines for yourself.
Create a strict time frame to accomplish your goals.
Yes, this may create extra stress, but sometimes that stress encourages you to do something
you wouldn’t have done before.
The simple truth is… not everyone has the self-discipline to motivate themselves.
For example, you may have no problem finishing projects at work, but you struggle to finish
things on your own.
Why?
Because you don’t have a supervisor watching over you at home.
In your personal life, there’s no one demanding you turn in your goals by the end of the week.
That’s why the things that matter to you most never get done.
Treat your goals like professional projects.
Make deadlines and stick to them.
If you need more accountability, ask a friend or a family member to act as your stand-in
supervisor.
Tell them the deadline you’re aiming for and the goal you want to accomplish.
Suddenly, you’re accountable to someone.
They have expectations of you, and that increases your motivation to achieve.
If you create this extra layer of responsibility in your life, you’ll find yourself accomplishing
things much faster than you ever did before.
Because you are accountable for your goals… and they’re happening in the present.
You’re not saving your dreams for someday.
You’re achieving your goals right here, right now.
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