“Next time you notice something unpleasant in your life: a task you’re putting off, a project you don’t want to start or an intractable problem, don’t just try harder at it. Take a step back, and ask yourself “how can I make this something I’d feel excited about”. This is hard, and will require actual effort and creativity.”
Focus on your self-image. The task is not the important part, the important part is how the decisions you make now affect your self-image and your future decisions. Does this task make you the kind of person who Actually Does Things? Does it make me the kind of person who’ll make other people’s lives better?”
“The feeling of progress and growth - seeing myself improve, having tangible markers of skill, having skills in mind I was getting better at, eg becoming visibly better at giving talks”