November 06, 2007
My Brain: An Obstacle to Progress
And I've come to the startling conclusion that my brain is the biggest obstacle to progress on things like this.
Also on the list of things my brain gets in the way of are:
***Long post warning!***
I've been thinking lately about my productivity and general motivation to be productive. I've done most of this thinking while snuggled down under my covers and looking out at the cold when I was supposed to be going to the gym.And I've come to the startling conclusion that my brain is the biggest obstacle to progress on things like this.
Also on the list of things my brain gets in the way of are:
- Going to the grocery store.
- Taking my desktop computer to the computer-fixer peopleguys.
- Rolling over my 401K
- Going to Ikea to see if they finally have the shelves for my closet unit. Hell, I could even just call them and see, but I haven't done that, either.
- Listening to my history lectures.
- Moving my bank accounts from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley because I hate them.
- Updating my student loan payment plan.
I was even slow about addressing my tax problem that continues to
rage. (I did eventually call and get an extension on the deadline.)
(Oh! But have taken care of my 401K recently)
None of these things are very difficult or all that time-consuming, but when I think about doing them, I usually conclude that I don't feel like dealing with them.
I tend to focus on the niggling, irritating aspects of completing those tasks and just talk myself out of them.
Like, if I change banks, I have to update my direct deposit. I also have to update all of my automatic withdrawals. I also have to update bill pay. Yadda yadda yadda... not hard but bothersome.
Or, if I went to the gym this morning, I'd have to get up earlier, pack two sets of gym clothes (I'm working out with my trainer tonight) and trudge through the rain at an ungodly hour, all to stress my body out, put up with assholes in the locker room and shower in a public stall. *blah*
Back when I was all depressed about going to hell, and again when I was upset about my first boyfriend dumping me, I learned that it is possible for me to get through my day by just focusing on the most immediate tasks in front of me. I used to say to myself, "Just put one foot in front of the other" because I really didn't feel like doing anything, so I would just focus on the simplest task that had to be accomplished to get it done and eventually, I worked through my problems and got things done. While this sounds dreadful from an epistemological standpoint, there is a wisdom to this.
The best way to solve a big problem is to break it down into lots of little problems and then just focus on solving each one. This is the effect that focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other had for me.
When I get myself on the wagon of getting up early and going to the gym, the way I always start is just by making myself get out of bed without thinking about it. I don't allow myself to dwell on how comfy it is under the covers. I don't even try to convince myself that it's a good thing to get out of bed -- presumably, I already know it's good for me to get out of bed and that's why I set my alarm in the first place. I just make myself get up and get going.
I sometimes think to myself that I am lazy and that there must be something terribly wrong with my psycho-epistemology because I can't motivate myself to complete even simplest tasks, like cleaning my room, or walking two blocks to the grocery store and buying food.
If I spend a lot of time thinking about how I never seem to get these things done, then I tend to get down on myself about it. Actually, if I start thinking about those things, then I start thinking about other good things I could do with my time, but don't, and then I get REALLY down on myself about it.
I'm able to avoid this funk by a couple of methods.
First, I do get a lot of very good things done with my time. The time I spend avoiding the things above aren't all spent lounging in bed. Instead, I am often writing, reading, working, or some other activity that really is worthwhile and those other activities are usually more important, too.
The other part of this is the fact that there are lots of times when I really do need an additional hour and a half of sleep in the morning. Usually it's because I stayed up too late doing those other more important things.
Second, I realize that I cannot possible (nor necessary) do everything all at once. Building good habits and practices takes time. I try to focus on just one thing or two things and get those under my belt and then move on to something else.
I wouldn't actually endorse being lazy. One should always be focused on self-improvement, which includes building good habits. But at the same time, one has to put one's current state in the context of one's life. Marathon runners don't start out running 26 miles every time they go out. They start small and work their way up. It doesn't compromise their self-esteem to know that they're at the beginning of their training. Actually, they probably don't even think about running marathons at the beginning, at least not seriously. They do the same thing: they think about getting through the next run and then just doing another one later.
I used to think to myself, "If I concentrate on the bigger reasons for getting out of bed in the morning, then that should motivate me because I am here as a rational person who is motivated by his values." That does not work and it is not because I'm an irrational person. It's because motivation is an emotional response, the desire to accomplish something, and directing your conscious mind to the reasons why you want that won't really do a whole lot to help you out there.
This is one of those cases where you really need your conscious and subconscious mind to be in sync.
So, you have two options:
1) Don't do what ever it is you're looking to motivate yourself into doing.
2) Do it without motivation.
I don't consider myself well-versed in the reasoning past this point, but I will continue to give you my opinion on it.
If you want to do whatever it is, like get up early in the morning and go to the gym, and you have no motivation to do it, I think you have to close your eyes, put one foot in front of the other and do it.
The reason is because if you do this, you will begin to enjoy the results of the effort. The results of the effort will concretize for your mind the reason you're doing whatever. Maybe you'll see bigger muscles, rock-hard abs, bikini models swarming about you or something. Whatever it is, the emotional response of happiness to acquiring the value at least in part will translate to motivation for continuing actions incumbent in the pursuit of that goal.
There's a chicken-egg thing going on here.
To be motivated to do something, your subconscious mind needs to have a link built between that action and what it will get for you. To build the link, you almost need to perform the action.
There's another, better way, though.
You can also program your subconscious to desire greater values by achieving the lesser values that lead you to that greater value. Again, we reprise the theme of breaking big problems into smaller problems.
If you find yourself not desiring some particular value that your conscious mind has decided that you want, there is a good chance that you could stand to reinforce the values that lead up to that greater value. These can be difficult to identify, but there are typically several little things that add up to a big thing.
If you value being physically fit, it may be because you value the health benefits, the physical capacity for activity that it grants you, and the attractive body. The health benefits may include sleeping better, lower blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol and higher good cholesterol. The physical capacity may involve strength, speed, flexibility, agility, balance, and even mental focus. The attractiveness bit is easy, you look good to yourself and others.
You can say, "I would like to lower my blood pressure by working out." So, you start measuring your blood pressure regularly and working out regularly. As you succeed in lowering your blood pressure (obviously there is a physical constraint here that may make the results of your effort less dramatic -- particularly if you're already in really good shape.) you will feel a sense of accomplishment that you can link to your efforts in the gym or at the track.
"Reprogramming" your subconscious is a long, tedious effort and the more abstract the goal, the more long and difficult the effort will be. Like, it's easier to teach yourself to quit smoking than it is to teach yourself to be honest -- assuming you have a problem with honesty. My subconscious is like a really not-so-bright child who is hard of hearing; it benefits from constant repetition of its lessons.
But prior to succeeding at such an effort, it would be unjust for me to spend a lot of time dogging myself for not having already succeeded. I've held onto some bad ideas in my life; I've been wrong. I've tried to teach myself things that are not conducive to my long term happiness. And so I've spent a lot of time and energy re-teaching myself and learning the right things. And I am pretty damn good these days!
So, I just take it one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, and I concentrate not on the long-term benefits of this or that, but the near term benefits so that my subconscious can learn it.
I got my tax thing done because I didn't want to carry the papers around any more. I got my 401K done because I wanted to clear those papers off of my desk. I will get my desktop computer taken to the computer guy when I decide to clean my room and decide that I don't want that useless box sitting in the middle of the floor. I will start getting out of bed in the morning to work out, probably when I move my alarm clock across the room so that I have to get up to turn it off!
(Oh! But have taken care of my 401K recently)
None of these things are very difficult or all that time-consuming, but when I think about doing them, I usually conclude that I don't feel like dealing with them.
I tend to focus on the niggling, irritating aspects of completing those tasks and just talk myself out of them.
Like, if I change banks, I have to update my direct deposit. I also have to update all of my automatic withdrawals. I also have to update bill pay. Yadda yadda yadda... not hard but bothersome.
Or, if I went to the gym this morning, I'd have to get up earlier, pack two sets of gym clothes (I'm working out with my trainer tonight) and trudge through the rain at an ungodly hour, all to stress my body out, put up with assholes in the locker room and shower in a public stall. *blah*
Back when I was all depressed about going to hell, and again when I was upset about my first boyfriend dumping me, I learned that it is possible for me to get through my day by just focusing on the most immediate tasks in front of me. I used to say to myself, "Just put one foot in front of the other" because I really didn't feel like doing anything, so I would just focus on the simplest task that had to be accomplished to get it done and eventually, I worked through my problems and got things done. While this sounds dreadful from an epistemological standpoint, there is a wisdom to this.
The best way to solve a big problem is to break it down into lots of little problems and then just focus on solving each one. This is the effect that focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other had for me.
When I get myself on the wagon of getting up early and going to the gym, the way I always start is just by making myself get out of bed without thinking about it. I don't allow myself to dwell on how comfy it is under the covers. I don't even try to convince myself that it's a good thing to get out of bed -- presumably, I already know it's good for me to get out of bed and that's why I set my alarm in the first place. I just make myself get up and get going.
I sometimes think to myself that I am lazy and that there must be something terribly wrong with my psycho-epistemology because I can't motivate myself to complete even simplest tasks, like cleaning my room, or walking two blocks to the grocery store and buying food.
If I spend a lot of time thinking about how I never seem to get these things done, then I tend to get down on myself about it. Actually, if I start thinking about those things, then I start thinking about other good things I could do with my time, but don't, and then I get REALLY down on myself about it.
I'm able to avoid this funk by a couple of methods.
First, I do get a lot of very good things done with my time. The time I spend avoiding the things above aren't all spent lounging in bed. Instead, I am often writing, reading, working, or some other activity that really is worthwhile and those other activities are usually more important, too.
The other part of this is the fact that there are lots of times when I really do need an additional hour and a half of sleep in the morning. Usually it's because I stayed up too late doing those other more important things.
Second, I realize that I cannot possible (nor necessary) do everything all at once. Building good habits and practices takes time. I try to focus on just one thing or two things and get those under my belt and then move on to something else.
I wouldn't actually endorse being lazy. One should always be focused on self-improvement, which includes building good habits. But at the same time, one has to put one's current state in the context of one's life. Marathon runners don't start out running 26 miles every time they go out. They start small and work their way up. It doesn't compromise their self-esteem to know that they're at the beginning of their training. Actually, they probably don't even think about running marathons at the beginning, at least not seriously. They do the same thing: they think about getting through the next run and then just doing another one later.
I used to think to myself, "If I concentrate on the bigger reasons for getting out of bed in the morning, then that should motivate me because I am here as a rational person who is motivated by his values." That does not work and it is not because I'm an irrational person. It's because motivation is an emotional response, the desire to accomplish something, and directing your conscious mind to the reasons why you want that won't really do a whole lot to help you out there.
This is one of those cases where you really need your conscious and subconscious mind to be in sync.
So, you have two options:
1) Don't do what ever it is you're looking to motivate yourself into doing.
2) Do it without motivation.
I don't consider myself well-versed in the reasoning past this point, but I will continue to give you my opinion on it.
If you want to do whatever it is, like get up early in the morning and go to the gym, and you have no motivation to do it, I think you have to close your eyes, put one foot in front of the other and do it.
The reason is because if you do this, you will begin to enjoy the results of the effort. The results of the effort will concretize for your mind the reason you're doing whatever. Maybe you'll see bigger muscles, rock-hard abs, bikini models swarming about you or something. Whatever it is, the emotional response of happiness to acquiring the value at least in part will translate to motivation for continuing actions incumbent in the pursuit of that goal.
There's a chicken-egg thing going on here.
To be motivated to do something, your subconscious mind needs to have a link built between that action and what it will get for you. To build the link, you almost need to perform the action.
There's another, better way, though.
You can also program your subconscious to desire greater values by achieving the lesser values that lead you to that greater value. Again, we reprise the theme of breaking big problems into smaller problems.
If you find yourself not desiring some particular value that your conscious mind has decided that you want, there is a good chance that you could stand to reinforce the values that lead up to that greater value. These can be difficult to identify, but there are typically several little things that add up to a big thing.
If you value being physically fit, it may be because you value the health benefits, the physical capacity for activity that it grants you, and the attractive body. The health benefits may include sleeping better, lower blood pressure, lower bad cholesterol and higher good cholesterol. The physical capacity may involve strength, speed, flexibility, agility, balance, and even mental focus. The attractiveness bit is easy, you look good to yourself and others.
You can say, "I would like to lower my blood pressure by working out." So, you start measuring your blood pressure regularly and working out regularly. As you succeed in lowering your blood pressure (obviously there is a physical constraint here that may make the results of your effort less dramatic -- particularly if you're already in really good shape.) you will feel a sense of accomplishment that you can link to your efforts in the gym or at the track.
"Reprogramming" your subconscious is a long, tedious effort and the more abstract the goal, the more long and difficult the effort will be. Like, it's easier to teach yourself to quit smoking than it is to teach yourself to be honest -- assuming you have a problem with honesty. My subconscious is like a really not-so-bright child who is hard of hearing; it benefits from constant repetition of its lessons.
But prior to succeeding at such an effort, it would be unjust for me to spend a lot of time dogging myself for not having already succeeded. I've held onto some bad ideas in my life; I've been wrong. I've tried to teach myself things that are not conducive to my long term happiness. And so I've spent a lot of time and energy re-teaching myself and learning the right things. And I am pretty damn good these days!
So, I just take it one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, and I concentrate not on the long-term benefits of this or that, but the near term benefits so that my subconscious can learn it.
I got my tax thing done because I didn't want to carry the papers around any more. I got my 401K done because I wanted to clear those papers off of my desk. I will get my desktop computer taken to the computer guy when I decide to clean my room and decide that I don't want that useless box sitting in the middle of the floor. I will start getting out of bed in the morning to work out, probably when I move my alarm clock across the room so that I have to get up to turn it off!
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at
05:46 PM
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Category: About Flibby
Post contains 1812 words, total size 11 kb.
1
Yeah. I tried moving Alarm Clock. It's got to be far enough away to defeat the urge to return to Electric Blanket, but not so far that it's quiet enough to ignore. Turns out, there's no such place in my apartment. Electric Blanket is just too compelling. Damn you, Electric Blanket!
Really good post, though. It's kind of what I was talking about in the comments to that other really good post you did last week. I might have more comments later, after I've thought about it some more.
~Q
Really good post, though. It's kind of what I was talking about in the comments to that other really good post you did last week. I might have more comments later, after I've thought about it some more.
~Q
Posted by: Qwertz at November 06, 2007 10:49 PM (SlU3W)
2
Great post, Flibbert. Much of what you wrote rings very true to me. Sometimes habits are hard to form. Hmmm. . . much to think about. Thanks.
Posted by: Rational Jenn at November 07, 2007 05:29 PM (IYvUd)
3
I like your thoughts about the role of the subconscious in motivated actions--of linking actions to the values to be sought. Why do you think motivation can become low?
Posted by: Apple at November 07, 2007 05:48 PM (9Ce0Z)
4
Well, as I mentioned, motivation is an emotion. It's the desire to act to acquire some value. If you're unmotivated, it means that your subconscious mind has not connected that action to the acquisition of that value. More simply: you don't really want it -- at least not in your subconscious.
So, you have to teach your subconscious to want it.
How did you get to the point where you don't actually want something that you say you want? Well, it could be lots of things. It could be that you never integrated the necessary concepts that would lead to actually wanting whatever it is. It could also be that you just forgot.
A friend of mine used to say, "Repetition teaches the ass." I think he might have been advocating child abuse at the time, but he was also saying that (stupid) people learn best by repetition. And I believe I mentioned that my subconscious is basically a child with special needs. It needs a lot of practice with things. You do have to continually reinforce your subconscious mind through action.
The virtue of integrity means consistently and constantly pursing your values. It seems plausible to me that one might lose motivation if a person isn't behaving consistently.
Ok. I'm exhausted right now and I can't think very clearly... I may or may not comment on this further at another time.
So, you have to teach your subconscious to want it.
How did you get to the point where you don't actually want something that you say you want? Well, it could be lots of things. It could be that you never integrated the necessary concepts that would lead to actually wanting whatever it is. It could also be that you just forgot.
A friend of mine used to say, "Repetition teaches the ass." I think he might have been advocating child abuse at the time, but he was also saying that (stupid) people learn best by repetition. And I believe I mentioned that my subconscious is basically a child with special needs. It needs a lot of practice with things. You do have to continually reinforce your subconscious mind through action.
The virtue of integrity means consistently and constantly pursing your values. It seems plausible to me that one might lose motivation if a person isn't behaving consistently.
Ok. I'm exhausted right now and I can't think very clearly... I may or may not comment on this further at another time.
Posted by: Flibbertigibbet at November 08, 2007 09:50 PM (ru7wW)
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