Get Things Done!

Romans 12:10-12 says: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;"

Our quote for today is from Jim Rohn. He said: "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 2 of Step 8: "Use the Reinforcement Principle".

Q: Some people would argue that it's demeaning to "bribe" yourself to do something that you know you should do anyway. Shouldn't the satisfaction of a job well-done be reward enough?

It often is. For many people the knowledge that they will earn self-satisfaction is sufficient motivation to get them to perform a distasteful task at the appropriate time. Such people have learned to utilize the most important reinforcer of all and are to be commended—if everyone were like them there would be no such thing as procrastination, a book like this one would never be written, and it would be a much different world. But many people aren't like that; they doubt they can do the job satisfactorily, or they are immobilized by anticipation of discomfort, or by shyness, or by fear of success, or by one of the other inhibitors we've talked about, so they postpone action. Such people may find it's necessary to sweeten the pot by providing some additional rewards.

This can hardly be referred to as bribery, because that word implies something improper. After all, what's wrong with being rewarded? Welders and teachers and physicians do their work partly because of the satisfaction they get from doing it—but they usually don't continue very long unless that intrinsic reward is supplemented by some additional reinforcement, such as a paycheck, recognition, or benefits.

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Psalm 90:17 says: "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it."

Our quote for today is from Samuel Butler. He said: "If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 1 of Step 8: "Use the Reinforcement Principle".

Q: You have emphasized the power of self-discipline. But how do you make sure that when you discipline yourself to do something it isn't just a one-time thing? In other words, how do you build single actions into habit patterns, so that procrastination is less likely in the future?

You do it by using the principle of reinforcement.

Behavioral scientists have demonstrated that whenever a behavior occurs, the likelihood of it occurring again is strongly influenced by whatever happens immediately afterward. If the subsequent event is pleasant, the brain links the two occurrences together. Even if the person is unaware of the linkage, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. The process is seen throughout the animal kingdom: it is built-in mechanism that makes possible what psychologists call associative learning.

So if you want a particular action to be repeated, follow it immediately with a suitable reinforcer, some kind of reward that will have a positive effect. The reinforcer may be provided by someone else—as, for example, in the case of a football coach who gives a player a pat on the back after he has made an exceptional effort—or you can provide it for yourself, as when you give yourself some kind of reward for performing an unpleasant task you were tempted to postpone.

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Psalm 90:17 says: "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it."

Our quote for today is from Samuel Butler. He said: "If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 1 of Step 8: "Use the Reinforcement Principle".

Q: You have emphasized the power of self-discipline. But how do you make sure that when you discipline yourself to do something it isn't just a one-time thing? In other words, how do you build single actions into habit patterns, so that procrastination is less likely in the future?

You do it by using the principle of reinforcement.

Behavioral scientists have demonstrated that whenever a behavior occurs, the likelihood of it occurring again is strongly influenced by whatever happens immediately afterward. If the subsequent event is pleasant, the brain links the two occurrences together. Even if the person is unaware of the linkage, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. The process is seen throughout the animal kingdom: it is built-in mechanism that makes possible what psychologists call associative learning.

So if you want a particular action to be repeated, follow it immediately with a suitable reinforcer, some kind of reward that will have a positive effect. The reinforcer may be provided by someone else—as, for example, in the case of a football coach who gives a player a pat on the back after he has made an exceptional effort—or you can provide it for yourself, as when you give yourself some kind of reward for performing an unpleasant task you were tempted to postpone.

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Ecclesiastes 2:24 says: "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."

Our quote for today is from Samuel Butler. He said: "If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 3 of Step 7: "Establish an Action Environment".

Having the necessary tools and materials close at hand and ready for action minimizes procrastination. For most tasks, gathering the necessary tools and materials is the vital first step. Nothing happens until you have the resources close at hand.

Having everything organized. In a workshop, that may mean having a neat and orderly workbench with all tools in their allotted spaces and a clear space for the new project. In an office, a tidy desk, free of any extraneous materials, is generally an invitation to concentrate. Everyone has personal preferences regarding the layout of their workspace. For some, untidiness is reassuring and soothing. For others, a cluttered work environment leads to disorganized thinking.

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Acts 20:35 says: "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Our quote for today is from Jack Canfield. He said: "You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going. Babies don't walk the first time they try, but eventually they get it right."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 4 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself".

Q: Do psychologists recommend “flexing” the will regularly?

Indeed they do. One who emphasized this concept many years ago was William James, who put it this way: “Keep alive in yourself the faculty of making efforts by means of little useless exercises every day, that is to say, be systematically heroic every day in little unnecessary things; do something every other day, for the sole and simple reason that it is difficult and you would prefer not to do it, so that when the cruel hour of danger strikes, you will not be unnerved or unprepared. A self-discipline of this kind is similar to the insurance that one pays on one’s house and on one’s possessions. To pay the premium is not pleasant and possibly may never serve us, but should it happen that our house were burnt, the payment will save us from ruin.”

More recently, other psychologists, such as Roberto Assagioli and Boyd Barrett have urged this approach – the daily performance of seemingly useless acts for the sole purpose of strengthening the will. “Gymnastics of the will,” they have called it.

Q: But it seems a shame to select something that is “useless” when there are so many useful tasks to be done!

True. And I am inclined to disagree with James, Assagioli, and Barrett on this point. Instead of performing some useless act just for the sake of exercising the will, I think it makes more sense to select a useful task one has been putting off, so as to get some benefit from the exercise beyond the mere training of the will.

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Ephesians 5:15-16 says: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Our quote for today is from Vishwas Chavan. He said: "If every citizen can get rid of the indiscipline syndrome, we have immense potential to build more productive, conflict-free, harmonious and peaceful communities, societies, cities, nations and world."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 3 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself".

Q: You recommend doing difficult things not just for the intrinsic benefit involved, but because they provide practice in self-discipline?

Correct. Each time you perform a difficult act -- or resist a temptation -- you make it easier to do so in the future. In the words of Hamlet,

Refrain tonight,
And that shall lend a kind of easiness
To the next abstinence; the next more easy;
For use can almost change the stamp of nature…

Q: So you would compare willpower to a muscle, which grows either stronger or weaker, depending upon whether or not it’s used?

Yes. The human mind, like the human body has an incredible ability to adjust to the demands made on it, and when the demands are steady, regular, and consistent, the result is growth, power, and greater ease of performance. In exercising your will you establish a mental “groove” -- a habit pattern -- that is deepened with each repetition, but which will gradually fade with lack of use.

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Ecclesiastes 2:24 says: "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God."

Our quote for today is from Roy Bennett. He said: "Don't let procrastination take over your life. Be brave and take risks. Your life is happening right now."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 2 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself".

Q: All of the advice you're giving out presupposes that the person involved has enough willpower to carry out your suggestions. But, unfortunately, willpower is often in short supply – especially for the typical procrastinator. How can one cope with a lack of willpower?

You have to learn to be tough with yourself.

Q: That's easily said, but it isn't really very helpful. A person who knows how to be “tough” with himself probably doesn't lack willpower, and doesn't procrastinate. What's the answer for the millions who don't have whatever it takes to exercise self-discipline?

There's no such person. We all have the option of using self-discipline if we choose to. We are born with a resiliency, a toughness that can enable us to withstand privation, pain, discomfort, and all the other “natural shocks that the flesh is heir to,” but in our modern world we have become so accustomed to the easy life that this inner strength is seldom exercised on a day-to-day basis. However, it's still there, dormant, awaiting the circumstances that will call it forth. And when that happens – when some crisis requires a seemingly superhuman display of pluck – we often amaze both ourselves and others with our ability to prevail over adversity.

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