This wisdom may save your life someday.
(All this and more will be yours when you sign up for Do Some Stuff)
1. Get Your Words Straight
When you call yourself a “procrastinator”, you’re labeling yourself in terms of what other people wish you would be.
Cut it out. You can’t possibly fix this problem as long as you’ve identified yourself as being the problem.
I’m Michael, not “a procrastinator”.
2. Be Specific
Instead of saying “I don’t like boring tasks”, realize that the task you’re calling “boring” is more interesting than some other tasks. Sure, it might be boring compared to something, but it’s not “boring” in any absolute sense.
If you’d rather watch Netflix than do the dishes, it doesn’t mean doing the dishes is boring and Netflix is interesting. It means out of those two choices, you have a preference.
3. Play Games
Make your life into a game. Sanford Meisner, the acting teacher, said: “That which hinders your task is your task.”
If you think you should be doing your homework, but you’d rather play video games, then make your homework into a game.
Put the actual video games in the basement and challenge yourself to see how bored you can get.
4. Be Lazy
You’re an animal. Get used to it.
If you’re working on a “boring” task, and something more exciting shows up, you’re going to go with that instead.
You’ve gotta accept this about yourself. You can’t fight it.
Do whatever’s easiest and most fun.
If the video games are evil, remove them from your environment so you don’t have to see them.
Accept the fact that you have impulses.
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