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Quitting as a Productivity Habit
"When you quit with intention, you free up more time, money and energy for the things that really matter to your long-term goals."
Thomas Oppong
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
9
Key Ideas
Why you are afraid of quitting
The sunk cost fallacy is one of the primary reasons you are so afraid to quit anything. It occurs when you tell yourself that you can’t quit because of all the time or money you have ...
Overcome the fear of quitting
Sunk cost is about the past. Opportunity cost is about the future.
If you are scared to quit (which is absolutely natural), always think of the opportunity cost. Think of the brighter future, not the scary past, and often times that is enough to give you that extra push to make the right decision.
Long-term cost outweighs short-term benefits
When you finally succeed, but you don’t have the health or someone to share the success with, the project might prove not be be worth it.
Take 5 minutes at the end of the week and reflect on what you have achieved versus what you had to give up to achieve it so you don’t end up giving up too much without even realizing it. Make this a habit.
7
Key Ideas
Act as If You Are In Total Control
Most successful people do feel good luck played some role in their success. But they don't wait for it or worry about bad luck. They act as if success or failure is tot...
Ignore What You Can’t Influence
Mental strength isn’t an unlimited resource, don’t waste it on things you can’t control.
Do what you can. Be your own change--but don't try to make everyone else change.
See The Past as Training
Learn from your mistakes, and those from others too, but let them go. The past is just training; it doesn't define you.
When something bad happens, see it as an opportunity to learn something you didn't know. When another person makes a mistake, learn from it and see it as an opportunity to be kind, forgiving, and understanding.
3
Key Ideas
Your brain is the biggest obstacle.
What’s hard for human beings is letting go...
The most common biases
- You’re focused on the time and energy you’ve already invested, or the sunk cost fallacy.
- Your eyes are trained on positive cues -being overly optimistic and loss averse. Always trying harder and for longer.
- When we realize we’re likely to fail at a job or other endeavor, we begin to see that goal as even more valuable than it was initially.
- FOMO—and the fear of making a mistake.
Do this if you want to quit
- Get a bead on your emotions. Don’t set yourself up for a “straw-that-broke-the-camel’s back” moment.
Motivate yourself. Quitting isn’t an end in and of itself; it’s a pathway to a new destination.
Make a plan that not only sets your new goal but anticipates possible setbacks and pitfalls along the way.
Prepare for the stress of transition. The best defence is knowing ahead of time how you’re likely to react.