How to Trick Yourself Into Doing Things You Hate

For many people, inertia, laziness, fear, procrastination, self-doubt, endless debating and analyzing, second-guessing, “planning,” and self-sabotage are the default. But for those with an action bias, taking a step forward is the thing that happens automatically, to the extent that it takes effort not to act.

Deliberately schedule the times you will spend planning, researching, etc., and times when you will be taking concrete, results-creating action. For example, block out 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. for writing but reserve the afternoon for planning, studying, or contemplating.

taking action is such a good idea and so easy to do, then why don’t we do it more often?

There are many answers to this question, but most of it comes down to anxiety. We feel like we don’t yet know enough to act, we’re afraid of the outcome, or we’re worried there’s a risk we haven’t prepared for. We feel we don’t have enough authority or clarity or ability to act.

Do something small now, see where it lands you

There’s truth in the old saying “Getting started is the hardest part

It takes energy and effort to get started—engineer your life so that starting is always as easy as possible.

Instead, be realistic. Expect and welcome failure as a purely practical part of life. In fact, try not to think of it as failure at all, but rather just data: information that helps you adjust and refine. Why waste time feeling bad about it when you can simply apply what it teaches you, improve, and move on?

The main difference is not that the victor is smarter, more talented, or luckier. Rather, victors actively and consciously embrace their responsibility in life and maturely accept what they are in control of. When things go wrong, they don’t resort to blame and shame. When things are difficult, they don’t assume that someone or something is being cruel to them.

The main difference is not that the victor is smarter, more talented, or luckier. Rather, victors actively and consciously embrace their responsibility in life and maturely accept what they are in control of. When things go wrong, they don’t resort to blame and shame. When things are difficult, they don’t assume that someone or something is being cruel to them.

The main difference is not that the victor is smarter, more talented, or luckier. Rather, victors actively and consciously embrace their responsibility in life and maturely accept what they are in control of. When things go wrong, they don’t resort to blame and shame. When things are difficult, they don’t assume that someone or something is being cruel to them.