Get Moving

I've been thinking about writing this blog for a while but kept delaying because I didn't know how to do it well. But in "Too Nice For Your Own Good", Duke Robinson reminded me that I don't have to be perfect. So I've decided to write it down as it is.

A while ago I wrote about Triggering Bad and Good Habits. Getting rid of unnecessary baggage is the first step we need to take to reach our destination - it would take longer to reach it with these on our backs. The next step is to develop good habits, and those can be developed through persistence as I mentioned before. But I still need to persist despite the odds. Perhaps I can make it easier.

The first thing to do is a dopamine detox. The rules are simple: Select a few habits that you want to regulate yourself with and stay away from them for an entire day. Too much? Make it half a day. If it was easy then extend the duration.

This detox aims to remind your inner self that it's okay if you don't play that game or watch that video. Thus you'd be more content with the present and go on, or else you would waste your time and energy - two of your most valuable resources in life - on trivial things. And as you get bored, you can turn your attention toward other areas of your life like spending real time with your family, talking to a friend you haven't seen for a long time, or reading that book you've been keeping on the shelf,... All of these will benefit you more in the long run.


About a week ago, I noticed that I've been spending a lot of time online - wasting an hour and a half on average on social media when I could be writing a blog or translating an article, or at the very least doing house chores. So I've been doing a dopamine detox on social media to regulate myself. Although I'm bored at night and I want to forget the harsh outside world reality (or my interpretation of it), I'm feeling better in the long run - I don't have to look back and say: "If only I didn't do that."

I've also found two rules that would help me out in persisting my goals:

  • The 2 Minutes Rule

This rule consists of two parts:

1. Getting Things Done by David Allen: Everything that can be done in two minutes, do it now without delaying or scheduling it. This allows me to enter a better flow mode while writing as I've already done most of the tasks like throwing the trash, cutting my nails, and brushing my teeth,...

2. Atomic Habits by James Clear: Select any habit that you want to develop and do it for two minutes. This time frame won't be too much of a strain to make you procrastinate, and it also eases that first step toward reaching your goal.

  • The 5 Seconds Rule

Mel Robbins wrote a whole book about this rule. Here's the summary:

  1. Find what's holding you back from taking action.
  2. Count down five seconds.
  3. Take that action for two minutes.

If you still find it hard, then look at the bright side of the situation, or think about a positive outcome. And if you're panicking then instead of telling yourself: "I'm panicking", say: "I'm excited to do it." This small change would regulate the way your mind interprets your feelings: "Oh, he's not panicking, he's just excited", allowing it to perform significantly better.

There's a big chance that you'll keep going. Even if you don't, you've still taken that first step to break the Groundhog Day cycle and doing something productive.

That's all for today. If you have any suggestions, please comment below.

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