You say a number of negative things about your productivity and work habits. It’s reminiscent to me of what I used to laughingly call “self sadism”, but I no longer think it’s a laughing matter. Negative self talk is known as one of the hallmarks and inducers of depression.
How often do you criticize anyone else by the same standards you criticize yourself? How you’d treat someone else who was trying to be more productive? With encouragement and celebration of progress? Compassion isn’t just for other people.
You see, there is a mystery to resolve about why many of us are so lazy. Like many around here, I waste all sorts of time. It’s strange, because the time wasting is in fact not as enjoyable as productive time, even in the doing, and certainly not after the fact. Why don’t we just work all day, producing endlessly, and be happy about it?
In fact, in the perversity of it, I find that I’ll freely work for hours, and enjoy it, but usually only if it is nonsensical work that I probably shouldn’t be doing. Like fixing my car, when I should buy one that works.
I wonder if the slave being whipped to produce more eventually gets sullen, and decides not to work out of spite. Never underestimate the power of spite. Are we spiting ourselves because we don’t like being bossed around, even by ourselves? Or because we don’t think it’s fair to be treated this way, because you wouldn’t treat others this way?
David Rock wrote a book “Your Brain at Work” which focused on research showing how productivity at work was largely tied to how well we feel we’re being treated.
I suggest an experiment. Instead of bossing yourself around as usual, treat yourself as a younger brother you’re encouraging to do what will make him happy. See if that has an effect on productivity.
You say a number of negative things about your productivity and work habits. It’s reminiscent to me of what I used to laughingly call “self sadism”, but I no longer think it’s a laughing matter. Negative self talk is known as one of the hallmarks and inducers of depression.
How often do you criticize anyone else by the same standards you criticize yourself? How you’d treat someone else who was trying to be more productive? With encouragement and celebration of progress? Compassion isn’t just for other people.
You see, there is a mystery to resolve about why many of us are so lazy. Like many around here, I waste all sorts of time. It’s strange, because the time wasting is in fact not as enjoyable as productive time, even in the doing, and certainly not after the fact. Why don’t we just work all day, producing endlessly, and be happy about it?
In fact, in the perversity of it, I find that I’ll freely work for hours, and enjoy it, but usually only if it is nonsensical work that I probably shouldn’t be doing. Like fixing my car, when I should buy one that works.
I wonder if the slave being whipped to produce more eventually gets sullen, and decides not to work out of spite. Never underestimate the power of spite. Are we spiting ourselves because we don’t like being bossed around, even by ourselves? Or because we don’t think it’s fair to be treated this way, because you wouldn’t treat others this way?
David Rock wrote a book “Your Brain at Work” which focused on research showing how productivity at work was largely tied to how well we feel we’re being treated.
I suggest an experiment. Instead of bossing yourself around as usual, treat yourself as a younger brother you’re encouraging to do what will make him happy. See if that has an effect on productivity.