json-derulo:json-derulo:tricking myself into developing better executive function by exploiting the same tactics drug dealers and gambling apps useALT@bexvalentinevt the hardest step is always the first one. how do you overcome the inertia of a body at rest? “first one’s free.” make the first step as easy, small, and low stakes as you possibly can. rig the game to guarantee you’ll win the first time. if you want to clean and reorganize every room in your house, the first step isn’t tackling the whole kitchen, it’s just taking the “before” photo of the counter. that’s it! you did the first step! you’re already up and moving, so you might as well set a timer for five minutes and put that clutter away, right? wow, much better! you even wiped it down! look how clean that is! now take the “after” photo and CELEBRATE. but why? I just did one area and it only took five minutes! because we need to get this sucker (you) hooked, that’s why. if the only reward you’re ever getting for completing a task is a guilt trip for not doing it sooner immediately followed by throwing yourself headlong into the next job, your brilliant beautiful brain learns to just avoid ever doing the task again. you’re a mammal! if you spent all your time and energy doing things that are hard and unpleasant for no benefit, you’d starve to death! likewise, if casinos never paid out any winnings to anyone, nobody would gamble, and if drugs didn’t feel good at first, nobody would take them. if you want to teach yourself to do hard things without it feeling like convincing yourself to put your hand on a hot stove, you need to create a jackpot of positive happy brain chemicals for doing it, at least at first. reward yourself! and do it within a few minutes of completing the task to make sure you’re building the association between the effort and the reward. get a cookie! get several cookies!now, the pitfall for me is that I’m an adult and I can just give myself a cookie anyway regardless of whether or not I clean the counter. the reward should ideally include something I can only get by actually doing the task. that’s where the two photos come in. I will literally just sit there with my cookie and flip between the “before” and the “after,” appreciating the difference. I’ll text them to loved ones to boast, or post them on here and let y'all hype me up. I’ll even say, “wow, I did a really good job!” to myself! out loud! but that sounds silly! it is silly. brains are silly. but how well is your current strategy working out for you?
tricking myself into developing better executive function by exploiting the same tactics drug dealers and gambling apps use
@bexvalentinevt the hardest step is always the first one. how do you overcome the inertia of a body at rest? “first one’s free.” make the first step as easy, small, and low stakes as you possibly can. rig the game to guarantee you’ll win the first time. if you want to clean and reorganize every room in your house, the first step isn’t tackling the whole kitchen, it’s just taking the “before” photo of the counter.
that’s it! you did the first step! you’re already up and moving, so you might as well set a timer for five minutes and put that clutter away, right? wow, much better! you even wiped it down! look how clean that is! now take the “after” photo and CELEBRATE.
but why? I just did one area and it only took five minutes! because we need to get this sucker (you) hooked, that’s why. if the only reward you’re ever getting for completing a task is a guilt trip for not doing it sooner immediately followed by throwing yourself headlong into the next job, your brilliant beautiful brain learns to just avoid ever doing the task again. you’re a mammal! if you spent all your time and energy doing things that are hard and unpleasant for no benefit, you’d starve to death!
likewise, if casinos never paid out any winnings to anyone, nobody would gamble, and if drugs didn’t feel good at first, nobody would take them. if you want to teach yourself to do hard things without it feeling like convincing yourself to put your hand on a hot stove, you need to create a jackpot of positive happy brain chemicals for doing it, at least at first. reward yourself! and do it within a few minutes of completing the task to make sure you’re building the association between the effort and the reward. get a cookie! get several cookies!
now, the pitfall for me is that I’m an adult and I can just give myself a cookie anyway regardless of whether or not I clean the counter. the reward should ideally include something I can only get by actually doing the task. that’s where the two photos come in. I will literally just sit there with my cookie and flip between the “before” and the “after,” appreciating the difference. I’ll text them to loved ones to boast, or post them on here and let y'all hype me up. I’ll even say, “wow, I did a really good job!” to myself! out loud! but that sounds silly! it is silly. brains are silly. but how well is your current strategy working out for you?