It's not always ideal to wait until the eleventh hour to work on something, though. Most writers know the power of a looming deadline to break them out of writer's block. For me, deadlines are targets, not last resorts, and quite often they're my main source of motivation, too. I know I've mentioned before that sometimes I really struggle with my productivity. But in the meantime, let me know in the comments: How do you make your to-do list meaningful and motivating? They're not epic life goals, but they do the job of reminding me why I wanted to do that today. For instance, I want to clean my kitchen so that I can cook dinner and not feel like a slob. Your goals don't have to be epic life goals, they just have to reframe how you're thinking about that task. For instance, if I want to write an article for a client today, I'm more likely to do it if I'm thinking of both the benefits of doing it and the consequences of not doing it: I want to get paid sooner, have more time for other things later, and continue to grow my business, versus having to make excuses to my client or having to shuffle my bills in order to make up for the delay in pay. It works for client work too, and not just personal goals. But if I reframe that to-do list item in terms of my goal - in this case, growing my business, which I want very much - I'm likely to feel more motivated to do it.
Not a night owl meme update#
The author recommended writing everything on your to-do list as a sentence that includes your goal at the end, which seems silly to me, but the message was valid: We are more likely to follow through when the items on our to-do list are meaningful to our larger goals.įor instance, I might have it on my to-do list that I'm going to update my website today, but that alone doesn't mean it's going to get done. One of the big takeaways from the book was that to-do lists work best when you write them in a way that reflects your goals.
Not a night owl meme how to#
I'm always trying to find new ways to motivate myself, and I'm a big list-maker, so a year or two ago I read a book on how to write to-do lists that work. (Yes, my Kindle is open next to me right now.) So it takes a certain amount of knowing how to trick myself in order to get anything done.
I feel like if I didn't make myself be productive, I'd probably sit here reading my book all day.
In my last post, about getting moving by doing something small, I mentioned that it takes finding ways to "trick" myself into being productive. You bet! In 2012, scientists discovered a single nucleotide near a gene called “Period 1” that determines whether you’re an owl, a lark, or in between.I've been talking a lot about productivity lately and how to maintain it, and in that vein I'd like to discuss another tip for staying productive. Light receptors in the eye tell your brain when to call it a night. You can also hack your clock by sticking to a regimented sleep schedule and avoiding light before bed. As adults age, mornings typically get easier. Babies wake at dawn, while teenagers can’t get out of bed before noon. Your circadian rhythm changes over your lifetime. Larks have more quality white matter, which helps nerve cells communicate. In 2013, a study found that early and late risers have structurally different brains. Owls are “phase delayed”-a pattern most common in teens and young adults-and don’t feel tired until late at night. Larks are “phase advanced,” meaning they feel tired early in the evening.
How does my circadian system work?Ī region of 20,000 nerve cells in your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus keeps your body on schedule throughout the day, regulating everything from hormone levels to when you digest food. “We call them larks and owls.” Which one you are has to do with your circadian system. “There are morning people and evening people,” says Sonia Ancoli-Israel, director of education at UC-San Diego’s Sleep Medicine Center.
Maybe not, but it can explain why you’re such a sleepyhead (which may or may not be of interest to your boss). Can't get out of bed in the morning? Allow science to tell you why-and whether or not you can change that.
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