so you think to yourself, i really want to become better at <insert hobby here> and the thought by itself begins to enamor you. you think about the result, how knowing how to play the piano would let you play your favorite songs, or how being an excellent cook would let you impress your family and friends with yummy dishes - all of this thought into the end result and no serious consideration put into the process.
maybe you do even put some thought into the how, researching the most optimal way to learn and practice, looking up reviews of the best rated equipment, only for this initial energy to become the only actual instance of effort and avoiding the hard part: consistency.
you can read a million self help books but the underlying theme for growth is going to be to show up and do a little every day. nothing in life is a marathon, and if you treat it like so then you will fizzle out and fail to get things you care about done. some people are unicorns with this ability to burn at max capacity and never stop, but for us with default stats this is certainly not the case.
yea, this might be the millionth time you’ve heard that said before. even if you know how to do something that doesn’t mean you can actually follow through with it. so what’s the secret sauce? is there even one?
ever played world of warcraft? runescape? any of those MMO’s that suck the life out of you by locking your dopamine in a digital cage that you poke with a stick for entertainment? if you haven’t, just know that its a game that preys on repeated hits of satisfaction to keep you hooked. by examining the formula behind MMO’s, you too can lock yourself in a cage but for a greater good.
why does the daily grind of playing these games feel so satisfying? people have different opinions on this, but for me it’s because we love to see the small gains. our character inching stronger to the theoretical max. why just this character? why not focus on your real life character’s dailies? have a dirty room? you don’t need to get it all done in one day - get a section done and celebrate. you just hit the +5 cleanliness experience orb, and are on your way to maxing the stat.
when you think of someone organized, you think of a person who constantly manages their stuff, in other words, gets their dailies done without fail. if you do a little no matter what every day, even when you feel least like doing it, then bam, you are somehow a mystical creature and people would consider you highly motivated individual. in reality, motivation is a noob trap, its better to look at things as small goals that stack towards a bigger one.
there is a bit of a fine print for this method though. you need to be able to see yourself as a person who does that thing as part of your core identity. if you start believing, yea, im a studious person, then its much easier to align yourself to put up with the plan to begin with and stick with it. this is not necessary at the beginning of your character’s build, but it’s certainly required along the way. even if you say out loud the opposite to be humble, deep down you gotta really believe it.
so am i. everyone is. i just personally found the path of least resistance while also being able to progress is through gamifying everything. nobody is truly happy after playing 12 hours of an MMO and notice barely any improvement, but months later when the fruits of your labor finally let you kill that boss or get that promotion, the feeling is bliss.