Idealism

The best way to improve your structured thinking is to ask yourself questions where you can't find the answers online (like, for example, how many customers visit your favorite restaurant every year?)

First, you start with what you know, then further break the problem down.

Structure may seem like it is stifling creativity, but it is not. Creativity thrives on rules. Within the boundaries, your thoughts can think freely.

When you know how to think, not just what to think, you can become an innovative problem solver, which can benefit you throughout your life.

When you notice yourself procrastinating, use your procrastination as a trigger to examine a task’s characteristics and think about what you should change.

By breaking down exactly which attributes an aversive task has (boring, frustrating, difficult, meaningless, ambiguous, unstructured), you can take those qualities and turn them around to make the task more appealing to you.

... people have when they procrastinate:

• Distracting yourself, and thinking about other things
• Forgetting what you have to do, either actively or passively
• Downplaying the importance of what you have to do
• Focusing on your other values and qualities that will solidify your sense of self
• Denying responsibility to distance yourself from what you have to do
• Seeking out new information that supports your procrastination.

The most common cause of passive behavior is being unmotivated.

It is a myth that motivation needs to come before action. More often, it is action that leads to motivation. You forced yourself to get in your workout gear and then suddenly felt ready to go. You forced yourself to meet friends and ended having a great time.

Action comes first, then motivation follows. When you feel unmotivated and passive, do something. Motivation and productivity will follow behind.

When your only goal is to make it through the week, you may feel like you spend your life going through the motions with the same tasks week in and week out. It can become very dull. Finding meaningful goals can change all of that.

Meaningful goals can be spread out across all areas of life. Find purposeful goals within the work section of your life. Volunteer for a charity or get involved in other projects. Doing so will inevitably lead you out of passive behavior.

1. Observe the need to procrastinate, recognizing and being aware of your desire. This is called meta-recognition and is what all the Gurus keep talking about when they speak about awareness.
2. Label and accept your urge to waste your time, but without any negative judgement.
3. Validate your urge to procrastinate, increasing your self-esteem.
4. Approach procrastination as a friend, not as a threat.

The biggest obstacle, the main villain hampering our productivity is always in your hands, and rarely in your pockets. _It’s your smartphone. It needs to be powered off for some time. Your laptop, clamouring for attention, is not helping either. Remove all distractions and notifications so that you can get in the ‘flow’ mode.

Creating friction between us and the open black hole of the online distractions helps us focus on work.

“To accuse others for one’s own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one’s education is complete.”

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”

In this stage of change, an individual acknowledges the problem and begins an internal debate about pursuing change. A lot of time may be spent in this stage as many may not be ready to commit to changing.

People often get stuck in this stage going back and forth between measuring the benefits and costs of behavioral change. A thorough cost-benefit analysis followed by a troubleshooting session can be helpful here, especially if it is done in written form.

In this stage of change, individuals commit to the intention of changing in the immediate future and have accepted the costs and benefits. What determines the success of an individual in this stage is their commitment to exploring, planning and insuring.

Set up contracts with yourself, by setting specific measurable goals, and detailing how you will accomplish the task at hand, including contingencies in order to stay on track. 

Your friends choose to be a part of your life, and they are your biggest fans. If you need a pep talk, just give them a call or text during the day, and they are sure to encourage you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you might just find out that some are worth even more than just a good time.

Your brain needs glucose, oxygen, and fluids to perform at its best. These mental blocks are easily solved by listening to your body’s demands.

If you are feeling frustrated, try grabbing a glass of water and a couple of snacks. Re-evaluate how you feel 10-15 minutes after consuming both fuel sources, and you’ll probably realize you feel much better.

When you want to hook up with a wonderful person, there is a chance you may get rejected. If you don't think you can handle it, increase your rejection rate.

Getting used to being rejected builds mental muscle that will eventually get you a yes from someone you thought were out of your league.

Every day, a billion things could go wrong for you and create a negative experience.

Learn to embrace the negative. Reframe your brain, and you will experience something new. Think to yourself, "Isn't it great that it is raining today. Now I can stay inside and read a book."

"One of the very worst uses of time is to do something very well that need not be done at all".

• A items : Things you must do, which will have a serious positive or negative consequence.
• B items : Things you should do, that have minor consequences.
• C items : Things that are nice to do but don’t have any real consequences when they’re done.
• D items : Things to delegate so you can free up more time to do A tasks.
• E items : Things to eliminate. Generally stuff you do out of habit.