asking whether the new task is something you want to do more than the old task
Why not just say “whether the new task is a better thing to do than the old task”? Like, there’s the rule to start your day with whatever has the biggest “ugh field”, i.e. whatever is most painful. I get that you’re using “want to do more than” broadly, but still, it carries the wrong connotation for me. :-)
Mark Forster (who originated the technique) puts a lot of emphasis on the exact phrasing of the question you use to decide between tasks. I’m sceptical that it’s all that important; I think it’s fine to experiment with different phrasings and see what works for you. There might even be benefits to switching up the exact phrasing from time to time, e.g. to keep you focused and agent-y while doing it.
After using the technique extensively, it’s become more of a nonverbal feeling for me than an explicit question. It’s nontrivial for me to exactly describe the feeling: some combination of desire, obligation, and endorsed choice-worthiness. The nonverbal version is both faster and mentally easier, but it’s plausible to me that explicitly switching back to a verbal question from time to time is worth it.
I suspect that there’s something important about being able to actually make the reverse decision. If you actually WANT to not do the “better” task because you’re not in a good state for it, it’s important to be able to make taht decision.
This seems useful and sensible, thanks!
Why not just say “whether the new task is a better thing to do than the old task”? Like, there’s the rule to start your day with whatever has the biggest “ugh field”, i.e. whatever is most painful. I get that you’re using “want to do more than” broadly, but still, it carries the wrong connotation for me. :-)
Mark Forster (who originated the technique) puts a lot of emphasis on the exact phrasing of the question you use to decide between tasks. I’m sceptical that it’s all that important; I think it’s fine to experiment with different phrasings and see what works for you. There might even be benefits to switching up the exact phrasing from time to time, e.g. to keep you focused and agent-y while doing it.
After using the technique extensively, it’s become more of a nonverbal feeling for me than an explicit question. It’s nontrivial for me to exactly describe the feeling: some combination of desire, obligation, and endorsed choice-worthiness. The nonverbal version is both faster and mentally easier, but it’s plausible to me that explicitly switching back to a verbal question from time to time is worth it.
I suspect that there’s something important about being able to actually make the reverse decision. If you actually WANT to not do the “better” task because you’re not in a good state for it, it’s important to be able to make taht decision.