talk-end-of-procrastination/slides/outcomes.md

Outcomes

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Daily meaningful activities

using skills you already have

gets you into flow.

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Flow frequently brings outcomes:

• emotional outcomes (makes us happy)
• material outcomes (fruits of our labour)

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Outcomes keep us going.

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But sometimes...

we get derailed by bad mood

• by negative events or emotions around us
• due to our own failing
• by recalling a negative past

and lose our flow.

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Negativity captures our attention

more than positivity.

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So we stay down

due to the negative feedback loop:

Negativity and pessimism reinforce themselves.

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We need emotional stability to keep us going.

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Hamster in a box

 

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Hamster in a box

• when put in a box with a lid, it will try to jump out
• and after a day or two it will give up and never try again
• even once the lid is removed

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Learned helplessness

[Martin Seligman]

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Baby Elephant Syndrome

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Hamster Procrastination Cycle

1. Do nothing
2. Have regrets
3. Doubt yourself
4. Feel helpless
5. GOTO 1

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How to break out?

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Time Perspectives

[Philip Zimbardo]

• positive past
• negative past
• present
• future

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Focusing on

• positive past
• negative past
• present
• future

results in a hamster, depressions.

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Refocusing on

• positive past
• negative past
• present
• future

breaks out of the hamster.

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Positive Cycle of Flow

1. Do meaningful actions
2. Feel good
3. Growing skills
4. Believe in yourself
5. GOTO 1

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How to orient yourself towards the future?

Personal Vision

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How to perceive your past positively?

Choice of attitude

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We are free to choose our reaction to events.

[Viktor Frankl]

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We choose how we interpret our past.

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TOOL: Choice of attitude

(originally named Inner-game; not related to Timothy Gallwey’s work)

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Interpreting seemingly negative events

as neutral or even positive.

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Event → 😟/😐/😀

Default:

Failure → 😟

Choice:

Failure → 😐/😀

Micro-habit that can be trained.

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My switched attitudes

1. Calming down my expectation of perfect social interactions
   • “This went well, we both enjoyed the chat.”
2. Burying past failures
   • “At least I learned to do something new!”

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TOOL: Three Good Things

[Martin Seligman] (Learned Optimism)

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At the end of every day,

think about 3 things

that went well for you.

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Why?

Increases positive emotions, hope and optimism.

Strengthens your focus on positive past.

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My Good Things?

Done daily during dinner as a family.

1. chatted with my coworkers over coffee
2. resolved one bug
3. finally gave my talk on procrastination