How to Trick Yourself Into Feeling More Motivated
A counterintuitive strategy for getting back on track
Surely I’m not the only one who has found it difficult to focus and work efficiently recently, by which I mean for the past year or so. But I’ve also discovered an unexpected trick for getting work done in difficult times: You don’t need to find your own productivity if you can borrow it from someone else.
I’m not talking about some kind of dark magic where I transfer my procrastination to others. The alchemy I mean is the burst of energy I can get simply from watching TV. When my productivity dwindles, I watch Survivor, Alone, The Amazing Race, or an epic sports event — and watch my productivity and motivation skyrocket.
Take Survivor, for example. Strangers are left on a beach with a bag of rice and forced to play a physical, social, and emotional game. It’s a constant struggle to stay strong enough to win physical challenges and make enough friends to avoid getting voted out. After I’ve mentally processed how difficult this would be, replying to my pile of…
