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Huberman Tip of the Day!
The Only Focus Tool You Need |
There's a set of circuits within us that allows us to identify what we want and then lean into the effort and then do that in a persistent way that allows us to reach our goals. and if we can do that with an intrinsic sense of pleasure. Well, that is nothing short of magic but of course, it's not magic it's science.
See all the tips you learned so far? They're useless compared to this one. Intrinsic motivation excites you and lets you tap into extreme focus even when it feels hard, boring, and endless. They did a study on kids who liked drawing. As an intervention, they gave them a gold sticker after each drawing session. Then, 2 weeks later, they stopped giving them stickers. When the children attached reward to the outcome, they didn't draw anymore. Maybe you had this too. You worked hard to get a grade in college or reach a certain goal, but as soon as you finished, you got stuck. And now, you can't motivate yourself to do anything. But if you get pleasure from the activity itself, you'll never face this problem. I dislocated my shoulder like 12 hours ago. Fell on it from about a meter high. Immense pain and no physical aid. But for some reason. Even without any focus tool, while lying in bed and typing with one hand, I can still concentrate on this newsletter. To be productive and consistent, you need to enjoy the activities themselves. Not the results you get. So think of the tasks you do on a daily basis. The exciting and the boring ones. Is it making calls, writing code, having meetings, talking to clients, researching? Whatever it is. Instead of focusing on the outcome you get (money, grades, etc.), focus on why you enjoy it. Maybe the subject is fascinating, or you love talking to people, or you like solving problems and making art. See, when you see it from a different perspective, these tasks can be fun and interesting. And when they are, you'll never procrastinate again. You'll always be focused and excited for work. Even with a dislocated shoulder :) Anyway, look for the exciting part of the boring work. Think about how today's work can be intrinsically motivating (takes 30 seconds) Here's the clip from the podcast. Have a nice weekend Reader! |
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Get specific action steps on how to use your brain to improve your health, performance, and well-being.
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