Mental Health and Achievement
Accomplish Tasks with Motivation and Joy in 3 Easy Steps
Simple mental tricks for bringing the brain to our side when it’s time to complete daunting tasks
A Methodical Approach to Hidden Mental Capacity
We all have dreams and goals to get the joyful and satisfying life we desire and deserve. However, we face psychological constraints preventing us from achieving our goals.
While severe restrictions like health issues and financial situations are real, most of our problems are psychologically created by the primitive part of the brain perceived as a threat to our survival. Recognizing these psychological roadblocks and timely addressing them can sustain motivation to achieve our goals.
The biggest problem is starting a new task. The next challenge is keeping the focus to continue. Thereafter, finding the energy and motivation to finish it can be one of the most challenging parts of the mental process.
These three phases are interrelated. If we can achieve the first one, the next two can have a high likelihood of completing it. A systematic approach can help us rewire the brain to serve our purpose.
We all have different goals. Their size and reasons do not matter. One of the best approaches to accomplishing goals is dividing them into small objectives and tackling them logically, prioritizing critical items. Some objectives can make a more significant impact than others, so prioritizing them in small steps is essential.
We need a combination of logic, emotion, and intuition to achieve our goals. While a logical approach can help us sort the sequence of tasks, the emotional process, including motivation and inspiration, gives us the physical and mental energy to complete them quickly. Intuition allows us to use the power of the higher self by giving us unique perspectives and valuable insights.
Without going into details, in this essay, I want to give three practical steps to initiate and maintain the motivation, inspiration, and mental energy needed to complete tasks mindfully, efficiently, and rapidly based on my experience and observations of high achievers.
1 — Pragmatic, Flexible, and Agile Plan for Task Management
Planning is critical for starting, processing, and completing tasks. Without a plan, the brain struggles to allocate the necessary energy to initiate a task. The crucial part of planning is to sequence tasks in order of priority. One practical approach that we can use is the 80/20 principle. We can ask which specific items can produce an 80% return with a 20% time investment when planning.
I specifically use the terms pragmatic and flexible for creating a plan. We consume our precious energy if we put too much time, focus, and attention into creating a perfect plan. The brain has limited power and is inclined to preserve it for our survival. In my opinion, there is no perfect plan. We are incapable of knowing the future. Many variables can change the plan. So, rather than aiming at creating an ideal plan, we need to create a realistic and flexible plan in agility.
Flexibility and agility are critical as the plan might change. A plan, in a nutshell, is having a mental picture of tasks, roughly sequencing them with an estimated time. The order might change as we learn more by experimenting during the execution process. We can add new items or remove some of them. We move faster by being realistic, practical, flexible, and consistent. Creating momentum is essential to grow consistently and remain motivated.
2 — Granular Method to Task Management
The human brain has a limited capacity for processing information. It cannot process it like supercomputers even if we have some better mental capabilities than computers. The brain can handle a certain amount of data at a time. Therefore, the size matters. The smaller the size of information, the faster it can process. An enormous size task can immediately turn off the brain, creating a perception that it will consume too much energy. The critical focus of the brain is to preserve precious energy for our survival.
For example, approaching a large task with ten items in one chunk is more difficult for the brain to cope with than one small item at a time. Therefore, we need to start small. We walk one step at a time to complete 10,000 steps. We eat one bite at a time to complete a meal. This is a natural process that we can apply to our tasks. After each step, the brain produces more energy for the next step after each bite of food or action, with small amounts of dopamine motivating for the following item in the sequence.
As the brain resists completing big tasks, it is best to partition them into many small tasks. The smaller they are in size, the better they can be. For example, when I write a book, I start with one sentence. Then develop a paragraph. After writing several paragraphs, I see the chapter sections are complete. This approach is critical as the brain produces dopamine after each completion of a task, no matter how small they are. Of course, we cannot write a book in one go. But we can complete a chapter at a time.
3 — Working in Flow State
A flow state is an excellent psychological position to complete tasks with less energy and more fun. Even though the term sounds conceptual, entering a flow state with a specific approach is possible. It is paradoxical because using a flow state can be learned and practiced with effort allowing us to complete our tasks effortlessly.
When we perform in a flow state, we produce better as we regulate our emotions and gain cognitive flexibility, tapping into logical and intuitive parts of the brain. Flow state allows using various parts of the brain in a better balance.
For example, the cognitive brain can focus, perform better task switching, use memories faster, and solve problems more efficiently in a flow state. This is because the limbic brain supports the cortex and the primitive part is quieter, not interrupting the activities of limbic and cognitive components of the brain.
From my experience, we can use three steps to achieve a flow state.
First, we need to be in the moment, forgetting about the past and not worrying about the future. Living in the moment is critical to entering the flow state, even if we are not in the mood for a task.
Secondly, we need to focus on a single task. I usually choose the easiest ones first to warm the brain to enter the flow state and gradually increase the load.
Thirdly, tricking the brain into that a specific task belongs to us, not others, even if they are assigned to us by others. This ownership can intensify the state and immerse us in it longer. Time passes very quickly in this state as the brain does not resist.
Takeaways
I’d like to summarize practical steps as takeaways from this article.
1 — Create a pragmatic and flexible plan to be refined as we progress.
2 — Partition tasks in the possible smallest size.
3 — Create a priority list and start from the highest priority.
4 — Integrate small tasks logically to understand their relationships
5 — Learn to enter a flow state and stay in it as long as possible.
6 — Continue working methodically and with consistency.
Conclusions
The brain works with patterns. Every combined action with repetition can turn into a habit. Building a habit takes time as the brain creates new structures using neurochemicals.
Studies indicate that constructing a habitual pattern might take 18 days to 254 days. It is up to us to create habits serving our purpose. The brain acts neutral. It can create both good and bad habits based on our focus and repetitions of the chosen tasks.
If you enjoyed this story, you might check these three pieces going into detail about productivity and creativity based on experience:
- What We Got Wrong About Creativity and Productivity: How can we get on track again? I introduce five root causes for decayed creativity and declined productivity.
- 12 Bullet Proof Life Hacks That Helped Me Thrive: Innovative lifestyle choices can significantly impact health, fitness, and well-being when they turn into a life philosophy.
- When Things Fell Apart, Three Attributes Brought Me Back on My Feet: From a broader perspective, I offer a personal framework for making sense of this complex world.
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