Being Intentional In Your Daily Activities
- When the task is guided and motivated by a pure intention, the inevitable obstacles become interesting challenges, like a video game that you want to play and win.
- Performing a task with a wholehearted intention makes all the difference and turns your work into a delightful activity that you look forward to.
- The distinction of trying vs intending is a litmus test for all the struggles and challenges that one faces in life.
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Any chore becomes a humongous, stressful task if the right motivation is not behind it. Something that you don’t want to do, but still have to, makes it an undesirable activity.
This happens because one tries to do something, without really intending to do so. Trying makes us focus on the difficulty of the task, repelling us from the activity.
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Activities that use our hands relieve stress and help solve problems:
- Using our hands on a task that doesn’t demand much cognitively gives the mind a chance to relax and rest.
- When our brain is “offline,” it gives it a chance to work on problems behind the scenes.
- There is something primal about it. We have actively used our hands as part of our daily survival for thousands of years.
The 3 elements required for intrinsic motivation:
- Autonomy: it's about choice - when you believe you have a choice, you're more motivated.
- Mastery: it's about wanting to get better at something that matters.
- Purpose: it comes from believing you're working on something that's bigger than yourself.
The scenario of a life turned upside down can be improved by:
- Monitoring the quality of one’s input.
- Pushing yourself for some exercise, which is sure to beat the blues.
- Reading actual paper newspapers instead of mobile phone articles.
- More fresh food, less processed food.
- Working with work clothes on, not pajamas.
- Bringing a change in routine and scenery.