I have some reason to believe that I am substantially more luminous than average, because I can ask people what seem to me to be perfectly easy questions about what they’re thinking and find them unable to answer.
Based on this idea, could you write some kind of luminosity diagnostic? It seems like people would be more likely to want to change if they knew what they’re missing (I know I would).
No, but now that you’ve reminded me, here are a few possibilities—things that, when I go through a chain of reasoning about them and find answers, make me feel particularly successfully luminous and lead to useful results:
What changes could be made to this situation I dislike that would make it totally okay? (Partial points if you can come up with mitigating factors that don’t completely fix it, but not too many points.)
How do I feel about $PERSON? Why do I choose to spend time around $PERSON? Is that a good reason?
Am I in some sort of unusual mood, right now? Was I when I took $ACTION? Where did it come from? Can I induce it or banish it on purpose?
Am I likely to do this thing I (intend/agreed/plan/want) to do? If not, what would make me likely to do it?
I think that most people procrastinate for more than one reason. A better question would be “Choose something that you often procrastinate on. Why do you procrastinate on that?”
Or, better (though less generalizable until you’ve answered it several times), ‘why did you procrastinate on this particular occasion?’ The thing that I’m procrastinating on is only the reason for the procrastination sometimes, at least for me. It’s more common for the procrastination to be caused by the presence of a compelling distraction, or by trying to do the work without the right kind of lead-up or preparation (which is not reliably a function of the type of work; it’s more closely related to other aspects of my life).
Asking the right questions is important, and the most common ones aren’t reliably right.
(aware that this is 2 years late, just decided to post)
I find that I work, on average,somewhere between 2-3 times as fast when I am right up next to a deadline,than when I have plenty of time.
From the introductory post:
Based on this idea, could you write some kind of luminosity diagnostic? It seems like people would be more likely to want to change if they knew what they’re missing (I know I would).
You mean a list of questions such that, if you can answer them easily, you’re probably pretty luminous? Possibly. I’ll think about it.
Did you come up with anything?
No, but now that you’ve reminded me, here are a few possibilities—things that, when I go through a chain of reasoning about them and find answers, make me feel particularly successfully luminous and lead to useful results:
What changes could be made to this situation I dislike that would make it totally okay? (Partial points if you can come up with mitigating factors that don’t completely fix it, but not too many points.)
How do I feel about $PERSON? Why do I choose to spend time around $PERSON? Is that a good reason?
Am I in some sort of unusual mood, right now? Was I when I took $ACTION? Where did it come from? Can I induce it or banish it on purpose?
Am I likely to do this thing I (intend/agreed/plan/want) to do? If not, what would make me likely to do it?
Hmm, someone ought to create an LQ test, and/or a Luminometer app based on questions like that.
Seconded.
Here’s a good one: Why do you procrastinate?
The more correct answer is normally hidden by cognitive dissonance or just difficult to discover for inexperienced introspecters.
I think that most people procrastinate for more than one reason. A better question would be “Choose something that you often procrastinate on. Why do you procrastinate on that?”
Or, better (though less generalizable until you’ve answered it several times), ‘why did you procrastinate on this particular occasion?’ The thing that I’m procrastinating on is only the reason for the procrastination sometimes, at least for me. It’s more common for the procrastination to be caused by the presence of a compelling distraction, or by trying to do the work without the right kind of lead-up or preparation (which is not reliably a function of the type of work; it’s more closely related to other aspects of my life).
Asking the right questions is important, and the most common ones aren’t reliably right.
(aware that this is 2 years late, just decided to post) I find that I work, on average,somewhere between 2-3 times as fast when I am right up next to a deadline,than when I have plenty of time.