diff --git a/src/changelog.pdc b/src/changelog.pdc index 31c19df..381914d 100644 --- a/src/changelog.pdc +++ b/src/changelog.pdc @@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ All major changes on the site ============================= +- 2010/11/15: Added [Kickstarting Motivation], cool technique I recently + implemented to start my days. Actually works, you know. + - 2010/11/05: Updated a few positions in the survey, reflecting further insights. I'd predict, vaguely, that in a few months I either will be able to actively disprove anatta, anicca, dukkha and the unity of knowledge and @@ -55,6 +58,7 @@ All major changes on the site On-site comments are gone, but I'm still very much open to anything over mail. Sorry for the broken links. At least the RSS feed is still there. ;) +[Kickstarting Motivation]: /experiments/kickstart.html [vim]: /software/vim.html [Philosophical Survey]: /reflections/survey.html [Concentration]: /experiments/concentration.html diff --git a/src/experiments/index.pdc b/src/experiments/index.pdc index 5e64845..1341cc0 100644 --- a/src/experiments/index.pdc +++ b/src/experiments/index.pdc @@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ Experiments This is basically my public spoiler file for life. Why should I keep all the cool stuff I found out to myself? Information ought to be free, after all. +- [Kickstarting Motivation], a technique I use to start my days - improving [Concentration] and motivation - how to develop [Speed Reading] and read a book in an hour - [Sleep] hacks - some hacks for [Good Sleep] - my experience and criticism of [Polyphasic Sleep] +[Kickstarting Motivation]: /experiments/kickstart.html [Concentration]: /experiments/concentration.html [Speed Reading]: /experiments/speedreading.html [Sleep]: /experiments/sleep diff --git a/src/experiments/kickstart.pdc b/src/experiments/kickstart.pdc new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c8a0833 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/experiments/kickstart.pdc @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +% Kickstarting Motivation + +Introduction +============ + +In my favorite cookbook (by and for vegetarian punks[^punk]), every recipe came +with a song recommendation to listen to while cooking. So here's the +recommendation for this article: the Portsmouth Sinfonia playing the William +Tell Overture (on [Youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs7QdpF0DE8)). Even +if you don't like classical music, *listen* to it. It's.. unexpected and +demonstrates the theme of the article, which is the motto of Dwarf Fortress: +"Losing is fun!" + +[^punk]: + The German "Ox-Kochbuch", if you're interested. And no, I'm neither a punk + nor a vegetarian. (Anymore.) + +The Technique +============= + +Start with a short interval, like 1-5 minutes. Maybe try 30-90 seconds. Then +pick an item from your todo and work on it that long. + +Don't worry about getting anything done, or even doing anything of importance at +all. If you are writing a paper for class, you'll probably only get as far as +opening your editor, jumping to the right line and reading a sentence or two +before it to figure out what you are supposed to write next. + +Beep, time's up. Next item. Open some more apps, get a book. Beep, next item. +You do this for about 30 minutes, or until every item on your todo has been done +once, whatever comes first. + +Now there are two possibilities. Either there will be at least one item (but +probably a few) you started that is still on your mind. Or none is and your glad +that's over. If really nothing got you hooked that way, nothing where you don't +at least want to finish a sentence, read to the end of the paragraph or do more +than just open some apps and arrange a few windows, then, well, to put it +nicely, *your life sucks*. I don't mean this as an insult. It's just a fact, and +it happens to everyone. Occassionally, we do things we think we *should* do, but +hate. They take over our time and then, well, life sucks. You don't need a time +management technique. You need to start *doing something fun*. + +But let's assume that's not the case because fixing your life is really the +point of another article, probably written by someone more motivating than me. +Try [Khatz]; I really like the guy. So, there's at least one item you feel like +getting back to. When the alarm went off, you wanted to just do another minute. +Maybe you even did. Great. The kickstarting is working its magic. + +Enter Step 2. You increase the interval to maybe 10 minutes. Don't overdo it, +experiment a bit. If you are unsure, or it feels a bit long, do less. Do only 5. +Hell, do 91 seconds, just to show you can beat the first interval. I typically +go with 5-10 minutes, randomly chosen. Repeat the process, but feel free to +skip the tasks that didn't really interest you before. Leave all the stuff open, +keep all the preparation around, but focus only on the few tasks that pulled you +towards them. If it's just one, then pick a random other task, too, so you have +something to switch to. You *want to be interrupted*. + +You see, the trick is that interruption really fucks up your brain's scheduler. +It *hates* it. It really only has two modes. Evolution totally cheated you out +of a good deal here. Either it wants to spend as much time as possibly on a task +or it wants to get away from it asap, typically after the original desire has +disappeared. So, context switching really annoys the brain. "No, I don't want to +think about new rocks to make an axe, I wanna hunt this zebra, now!", that kinda +thing. + +If switching is so bad, why do I instruct you to actually do it a lot? To raise +your desire. What you can't have, but want, you only want more. You may not feel +like writing the whole paper for this stupid class right now, but finishing the +one sentence you started today, as proof of being better than a trained monkey, +at least on good days, this one sentence? You're gonna finish this. But the +rapid switching won't let you. + +And suddenly, what you initially didn't want, you now desire. Just keep on +switching so you don't get bored. If the constant interruption starts to annoy +you and you know you're gonna continue for a long time, just turn off the alarm, +or better, set it to 40-60 minutes, as a fail-safe mechanism. + +This day has been won. + +Why such short intervals? +========================= + +A last note, to make something clear I kinda skipped over in the beginning. +Kickstarting your day with extremely short bursts has one big advantage - it +doesn't set you up with any performance expectations. Make this explicit. Say to +yourself, "I'm not gonna finish anything. Heck, I'm not gonna get anything done +worth showing *at all*. I'm just gonna do 90 seconds. Who gets anything done in +90 seconds?". I'm serious here. Completely expect to fail because you will. +*Failure is good*. Failure is fun! + +Nobody starts playing a shooter with the expectation "I'm gonna play for 4 +hours, finish all levels, hit every enemy and never miss.", but that's very +natural when we organize life. I certainly wanted to study like this! "Sit down +for 6 hours, learn all 4 chapters, solve every problem.", yeah right. As if. No, +what we do is, "I'm just gonna start and shoot people in the face." and if you +miss, pff, you just shoot again. What does it matter how far you get or how +often you miss? + +It's really counter-intuitive. The attitude that you expect to be successful +fails horribly, and the loser-attitude of "whatever, just have fun" dominates +everything and gets stuff done. Don't think you're gonna do anything useful. +Just get reminded often enough, ideally by a fully automated program, so that +you're going in the right direction and *fail*. + +[Khatz]: + http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/on-the-very-serious-subject-of-how-to-have-fun-all-the-time diff --git a/src/index.pdc b/src/index.pdc index c0cc195..9b6e2ae 100644 --- a/src/index.pdc +++ b/src/index.pdc @@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ read the [Twitter] feed for smaller, more cutting edge thoughts. This is basically my public spoiler file for life. Why should I keep all the cool stuff I found out to myself? Information ought to be free, after all. +- [Kickstarting Motivation], a technique I use to start my days - improving [Concentration] and motivation - how to develop [Speed Reading] and read a book in an hour - [Sleep] hacks @@ -56,6 +57,7 @@ Some of the stuff I wrote. [LibraryThing]: http://www.librarything.com/profile/muflax [Experiments]: /experiments +[Kickstarting Motivation]: /experiments/kickstart.html [Concentration]: /experiments/concentration.html [Speed Reading]: /experiments/speedreading.html [Sleep]: /experiments/sleep