… continued
As a part of ASAP method, to start action we already discussed working with laziness, and not against it. So here is the next psychological tool: Humans hate incomplete things!
When you start a task, but leave it incomplete, it occupies your mind. Even when you are sleeping, you are likely to dream about it. This is due to Zeignarik Effect, and you can leverage it for your advantage.
Tool #2: Zeignarik Effect
Zeignarik Effect tells that people remember incomplete or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. You can use Zeignarik Effect to become a finisher, one who always takes things to the finish line. How?
Short lists: Take it as a validation of your already mastered essentialism and Pareto Principle. When you make a long list, your mind gets stressed just by looking at its size. When you are doing one task, your brain will be thinking about the other ten pending tasks and finally procrastinate what’s at hand. So, keep your lists short.
Break down your goals: This is the same as small wins. Breaking down a big goal into small steps works like a progress bar where you want to reach 100% soon. Your brain does not care about the nature of work. It just cares about checking off every item from the list. This way, if you plan 10 steps, and do only 2, then your brain will not feel good until it gets you to complete the remaining 8 as well. Sounds simple but works like a charm!
Do not overthink: Paralysis by analysis is a known fact. When we delay action, our mind finds every reason to not get started. This is why people advise to not overthink before making a sky dive. The same goes for work. If you have to do something, just dive into it within a second, before your brain talks you out of it.
Zeignarik effect is a strong tool, and you should also start noticing the ways it is used against you. For example, a gaming app might have a progress bar to tempt your brain to play more. Nothing wrong with gaming but being aware of such traps will help you create your own hacks when you want to overcome a distraction.
That’s all folks! 🐰