Links for this Post: This is a post on Lifehacker with a motivation tip I'm going to try .The tip came by way of Brad Issac, who wrote Achive-It software which I wrote about in this post in January..
Here is an excerpt from the Lifehacker article:
. . . he then revealed a unique calendar system he was using pressure himself to write.
Here's how it worked.
He told me to get a big wall calendar that has a whole year on one
page and hang it on a prominent wall. The next step was to get a big
red magic marker.He said for each day that I do my task of writing, I get to put a
big red X over that day. "After a few days you'll have a chain. Just
keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You'll like seeing
that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your
only job next is to not break the chain."
"Don't break the chain." He said again for emphasis.
Over the years I've used his technique in many different areas. I've
used it for exercise, to learn programming, to learn network
administration, to build successful websites and build successful
businesses.It works because it isn't the one-shot pushes that get us where we
want to go, it is the consistent daily action that builds extraordinary
outcomes. You may have heard "inch by inch anything's a cinch." Inch by
inch does work if you can move an inch every day.Daily action builds habits. It gives you practice and will make you
an expert in a short time. If you don't break the chain, you'll start
to spot opportunities you otherwise wouldn't. Small improvements
accumulate into large improvements rapidly because daily action
provides "compounding interest."
So I've printed up a wall calendar, now let's see if I can get my dissertation done!
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