I'm not going to lie, 2019 hasn't been a good year for me. Part of that is due to outside influences beyond my control, but ultimately, I have chosen to wallow in idle self-deprecation for so long that it has become a habitual cycle. I'm getting fed up with seemingly being unable to accomplish even the slightest tasks towards my health and financial goals, but I just can't seem to find the motivation to get out of this rut.. Lucky for me though, it seems like motivation might be overrated..
Yesterday, while distracting myself by perusing the interwebs for something to spark a fire, I stumbled upon a subreddit about getting disciplined from 5 years ago.. The reddit user maxstolfe had been having a rough go of getting himself to do basically anything that required the least bit of work or effort, and was fed up with the loop of disinterest that he felt trapped in. In a cry for help he posted a little background and how he was feeling.
One user heard the call and responded with what has developed into a popular subreddit thread which is still thriving today. While sympathizing with the OP, the user ryans01 laid out his 4 rules that he had picked up from others and implemented into his life. Following those rules, he said, had paved the way to getting him to his dream job. The four rules are as follows:
1) No More Zero Days!
In particular the first rule seems to have struck a chord with the reddit community. No More Zero Days means not having any days where you don't do at least ONE productive thing towards your goals. Basically, being in a rut is a self-fulfilling prophecy, but if you can write one sentence, or do one pushup, it's not zero and that's what counts.
"Turning into productivity ultimate master of the universe doesn't happen from the vortex. It happens from a massive string of CONSISTENT NON ZEROS."
2) Be Grateful to the 3 Yous!
Ryan (the reddit replier) argues that there are three YOUS.. the past you, the present you and the future you.. if you want to be more productive and stop languishing in a vegetative stew of self-anguish, you need to show yourself some love, bro! Look for ways to constantly be thankful to the Past You for positive things you've done, good decisions you've made, no matter how small. Posted one more article instead of going out to party, THANK YOU, PAST ME!
Also, lavish favors on the Future You as you would a best friend or lover. Buy yourself flowers! 😉 This usually means saying 'fuck you' to the Present You in order to satisfy the Future You. It's getting late but someone offers you one more beer.. FUCK YOU Present ME, I'm saying "No" for Future Me!
"The cycle of doing something for someone else (future you) and thanking someone for the good in your life (past you) is key to building gratitude and productivity."
Rules #1 & #2 are a great starting point, but you really should put the whole package into practice.. Rules #3 & #4 can be found here..