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The Science-Backed Reasons You Shouldn't Share Your Goals. “I’m going to write a novel!”

The Science-Backed Reasons You Shouldn't Share Your Goals

I proudly proclaimed to anyone who would listen. It was 2010, and I was a wide-eyed college student who had recently discovered NaNoWriMo, an annual nationwide effort to write 50,000 words during the month of November. The future was bright; I had publicly shared my intentions and people were “holding me accountable.” Two key things that will help us achieve our goals, right? Except I never did finish that novel. Some research suggests that the open declaration of my novel-writing intentions is precisely where I went wrong. Reason #1: Receiving premature praise for a goal makes follow through less likely. Perhaps the most popular research about goal sharing and motivation is by Peter Gollwitzer of NYU. In one study, law students were asked to fill out a questionnaire that measured their commitment to making the most of their educational opportunities. After that, both groups were given 45 minutes to work on legal cases. So when is accountability helpful? Are These Defense Mechanisms Preventing You From Being Productive?

Allow me to kick things off with a (perhaps embarrassing?)

Are These Defense Mechanisms Preventing You From Being Productive?

Confession: The very thought of writing this piece seemed really intimidating to me. I was concerned about creating something that was thorough and accurate, yet still made sense and was easy to read. Plus, I knew doing so meant that I’d be elbows-deep in a lot of heavy psychological research. So, do you know what I did? Like the responsible adult that I am, I avoided this assignment for as long as I possibly could. Needless to say, it doesn’t require much psychoanalysis to figure out my default defense mechanism: avoidance. We all have this “anti-superpower” which does more harm than good at times. But First...Why Do We Use Defense Mechanisms? Defense mechanisms were first noted by Sigmund Freud, the famed founder of psychoanalysis. At their core, defense mechanisms are really self-serving.

Our defense mechanisms really kick into high gear during situations where we feel threatened. 1. Let’s start with my personal favorite. 2. Why We’re Hardwired To Love The Hustle (Hint: It's Complicated) The struggle is real.

Why We’re Hardwired To Love The Hustle (Hint: It's Complicated)

Or is it? We glorify morning schedules that involve waking up at 5 a.m. to exercise, meditate, and work on our side business, all before going to our full-time job. Or we #humblebrag about clocking 60-hour work weeks and don’t remember when we last indulged in some necessary self-care. We have an obsession with the hustle. We define success by how much we achieve in our complicated, jam-packed lives—at the expense of productivity, relationships, and personal wellbeing. But is this grind truly justified or is it all in our heads? Why Willpower Alone Won't Make You More Productive (And What To Do Instead) Have you ever sat down at your desk, determined to crank out some serious work—only to find yourself two hours later, feverishly scrolling through social media, no closer to finishing your project than when you started?

Why Willpower Alone Won't Make You More Productive (And What To Do Instead)

Most people think you can “will” yourself into being more productive. But according to Benjamin Hardy, author of Willpower Doesn’t Work: Discover The Hidden Keys To Success, willpower just isn’t the ultimate solution to ramping up your productivity. If you want to change your level of productivity, you first need to change your environment. And no, “environment” here isn’t just about switching from your office cubicle to a coffee shop; Hardy defines environment as the entirety of your spaces, habits, distractions, interactions, and other folks that you interact with on a regular basis. In A Creative Drought? 3 Ways To Get Your Ideas Flowing. We’ve all been there.

In A Creative Drought? 3 Ways To Get Your Ideas Flowing

Staring at a whiteboard, trying to pick a strategy out of thin air. Struggling to think of a name for your trivia team. Watching that blinking cursor dance atop a fresh document, waiting for your input. Just waiting... Drawing a blank is all too common when you’re tasked with coming up with something new. This problem is something you can prepare for, though. Where Do Ideas Come From? Deep down, creativity is about problem-solving. Ideas are infinite in supply; as long as the wheels of civilization are turning, there’ll be space for innovation, from the big ideas to the everyday sparks of genius.

And good ideas are within your grasp for every walk of life: a beautiful line of code, a poetic turn of phrase, a way of framing a photograph, a concept for a marketing campaign, a new form of corporate governance, or a grassroots method for inspiring community engagement. In Defense Of Multitasking: How To Do It The Right Way. Multitasking: is it actually a good thing?

In Defense Of Multitasking: How To Do It The Right Way

Scientific research suggests there are ways to manage multiple tasks effectively. You sit down at your computer to get some work done—which often involves feverishly clicking back and forth between your inbox and whatever project is in front of you.