Tag: commitment

Under pressure

Posted on by philipdodson

‘I work best under pressure’ is a myth, closely related to the ‘multi-task’ myth.

We work best when we are focused, in flow, distraction free and with a calm mind and free from immediately looming deadlines.

The ‘under pressure’ part comes often from not having completed focused work, procrastination and bad planning.

The more we commit to doing regular focused work, the more we remove pressure and the better our work becomes.

Stress creates rushed work, cutting corners and compromising the best that we could do for just good enough.

Relieve pressure by calmly taking time to do the things that really matter in a distraction free space.

Only then can we hope to achieve the best that we are currently capable of.

The self-discipline trap

Posted on by philipdodson

We can shortcut self-discipline by blocking sites, putting a lock on the fridge, not having chocolate cakes in the house, not buying cigarettes to stop smoking and removing from our lives things we can not seem to stop taking, having, doing and so on.

But it is just that. It’s a trap. We believe that we have overcome a habit or dealt with a demon. We haven’t really overcome something, we have simply ‘handcuffed’ ourselves, blocked it out, but deep down the behaviour is still there.

The hard part is to stop eating cake when the cake is sat right in front of us.

To do that we have to understand why we keep doing something and then to change our habits.

Blocks, locks, and denial are a short-term fix, building a habit without the block based on a desire to want to change, is the only long-term solution.

We will only apply the real self-discipline needed to build the habit that creates lasting change once we are inspired to do so.

Seek the demon, explore why we behave that way, build strategies and then apply new habits to change that behaviour.

It’s easier said than done, but if we want lasting change, there is has to be a trade between easy fixes and commitment.