I'm currently reading Awaken The Giant Within by Tony Robbins. If you've never seen it - it's a masterpiece written some 25 years ago. I'm a big fan of Robbins and generally - all roads lead back to him.
In Chapter 1, Robbins says that all decisions are made by how you associate pleasure or pain to the outcome. For example, some people smoke because it gives them pleasure. They feel more socially accepted in bars/clubs or within their peer groups. On the flip side, some people quit smoking because they associate pain with it. It's a 'nasty' habit, it's damaging their health and it's making them financially poorer.
So, what does this have to do with productivity? Well...think about it. Like most of you, I do procrastinate and it's annoying. I know there's a task that's urgent and needs to be done ASAP but I'm putting it off. Why is that?
Let's say I need to phone my bank to cancel a credit card. I'm delaying this task because I've associated pain to it. I know I have to phone a call center which means long queue times. When I finally get through to an agent - that person might be a dumbass and make me explain my objective several times. The call might be transferred to a "dept that can help me" or even worse - the call might get disconnected because of a dodgy connection. These are pain points and it's stopping me from fulfilling my goal.
Now what if I go through the same exercise but associate pleasure to it? If I call my bank, I can cancel my credit card. I no longer max it out and pay stupid fees and I don't need to deal with them or their crappy service again. And once it's done, I can remove the task off my Trello board or To-Do list. How great does that feel?
It's an interesting mind shift and a game changer for me. I know I have a lot to accomplish but now I have a tool to help me get through it. All it takes is a few minutes of my time.
Thanks Tony!
In Chapter 1, Robbins says that all decisions are made by how you associate pleasure or pain to the outcome. For example, some people smoke because it gives them pleasure. They feel more socially accepted in bars/clubs or within their peer groups. On the flip side, some people quit smoking because they associate pain with it. It's a 'nasty' habit, it's damaging their health and it's making them financially poorer.
So, what does this have to do with productivity? Well...think about it. Like most of you, I do procrastinate and it's annoying. I know there's a task that's urgent and needs to be done ASAP but I'm putting it off. Why is that?
Let's say I need to phone my bank to cancel a credit card. I'm delaying this task because I've associated pain to it. I know I have to phone a call center which means long queue times. When I finally get through to an agent - that person might be a dumbass and make me explain my objective several times. The call might be transferred to a "dept that can help me" or even worse - the call might get disconnected because of a dodgy connection. These are pain points and it's stopping me from fulfilling my goal.
Now what if I go through the same exercise but associate pleasure to it? If I call my bank, I can cancel my credit card. I no longer max it out and pay stupid fees and I don't need to deal with them or their crappy service again. And once it's done, I can remove the task off my Trello board or To-Do list. How great does that feel?
It's an interesting mind shift and a game changer for me. I know I have a lot to accomplish but now I have a tool to help me get through it. All it takes is a few minutes of my time.
Thanks Tony!
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