Thread #34429901
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Are people primarily or at least mostly a product of outside stimuli? I ask this question in relation to staying focused on working, and staying engaged / energized with hobbies and side projects in life
I’ve noticed that when I do certain tasks it leads to me doing other things, and then my personality kinda switches overnight
Recently I’ve begun doing the bare minimum at work to being ahead of schedule this quarter for no reason at all, it just happened. But now, I’m in a different state of being mentally and also physically with what I do habitually
So, my question more specifically would be, for both work life and private life
Instead of focusing on actively doing something, does it make more sense to “go on the defensive” and sort of curtail a certain behavior / take preventative measures to box yourself in to doing certain things, rather than being a product of your own devices
Example: I got a slight computer based side hustle, I do it all in a web browser. But I won’t just do it and will watch videos or something else instead. But, if I use multi window side by side view with this side hustle open I do it. Purely an act that pushes me towards doing something and not me just doing it out of instinct or desire.
I assume the same could be done for hobbies ( I famously drop hobbies for months at a time) so maybe just preventing any freedom of thought and being preprogrammed into doing something is better than ever actively trying to do it, because otherwise I will legit just waste time away doing nothing but instant gratification I bet or get distracted with a new thing
Also I don’t think quotas or checklists would help this
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TLDR
Is easier to focus on what NOT to do than to start from a sort of Point 0, no direction and try to DO what you SHOULD do?
It’s odd, my mind just randomly switched back from being dormant for months and now I’m ahead on work, losing weight, and actively feel smarter and happier
So odd
Maybe doomscrolling rots the mind
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>>34429901
>Instead of focusing on actively doing something, does it make more sense to “go on the defensive” and sort of curtail a certain behavior / take preventative measures to box yourself in to doing certain things
Yes, that's absolutely necessary. You can't build a good habit until you've rid yourself of the bad habit which serves as its opposite. You can't be patient until you've learned how to stop getting angry, for example. And you can't learn how to fast until you've learned how to stop snacking. If you want to learn how to focus, you have to learn how to avoid distractions, which means curtailing your usage of the internet. Trying to focus while doomscrolling is like trying to fast while snacking. It's literally impossible because it's a contradiction.
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I realized I’m more productive at work from not using my phone
And I think also eating right has improved my energy and mental awareness
Maybe this leads to a momentum that can carry along at home if I break distracting habits
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>>34434666
Start small and work your way up. Habits are built and unbuilt by degrees. Going with the previous example again, if you wanted to learn how to fast for an extended time you wouldn't just begin fasting for 5 days at once. You'd start with just one day, or even less if that proved too challenging.
Meditation is also a great help. Spending time with your own thoughts will gradually make it easier to control your thoughts, and since all actions are the product of thoughts, meditation will lead to greater control over your actions.
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>>34435542
Meditation sounds interesting
Maybe I’ll try it along with not having fifty million tabs open on my pc at home
At work I simply work because I’m not behind anymore and not using my phone
When I do start scrolling at work I legitimately feel my mind becoming poisoned again, I can tell how useless it is
I feel the old habits of being a zombie returning
It’s not like doing things feels especially good but it’s better than this; which is why I think focusing on not is better than doing, if I don’t do A, then I’ll either do B or just do nothing
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>>34436560
This was word salad I feel
But I meant was when I go back to doomscrolling or doing other habitual things I can feel my mind and perspective changing in real time
Which is why I would rather prevent those things than focus on doing things I wanna do
Because the alternative is just too easy, instant gratification, etc
Your diet analogies make sense
It’s why doing a meal plan / meal prep is better than neurotically measuring every calorie, if it’s predetermined then you know what you’ll eat, as long as you don’t retroactively add some snacks or something to mess with the numbers for more food analogies