# Do you use a system to improve your motivation/productivity? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262 "2006-03-14T01:39:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262/1 "2006-03-14T01:39:09Z")
I do quite well when I have finite tasks with firm deadlines. But I’m trying to write a thesis, where I have to set my own goals, and the only penalty for failing is not getting my thesis done so fast. Turns out, I totally suck at that. I had to develop some actual organization and time-management skills. I’ve had a lot of success with a modified version of the [The Printable CEO](http://davidseah.com/archives/2005/11/12/the-printable-ceo-series/) and just a dash of [Unschedule](http://www.neilfiore.com/nowhabit.html). Do you have any good tools or systems for motivating yourself to tackle big, ill-defined tasks? ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262/2 "2006-03-14T17:02:47Z")
So far, the method I’ve been using is known as the [Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/). It has been spectacularly ineffective. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262/3 "2006-03-14T20:36:37Z")
For big, undefined tasks that don’t depend on anybody else, it’s easy. I just break them down into smaller chunks and set my own deadlines. I don’t set penalties, but I do set rewards: “ok, if I can get _this pile here_ done by the weekend, I’ll go watch a movie at the movie theater”. The deadlines must be reasonable, not ridiculously easy and not absurdly hard. The rewards must be something that will be nice if I get it but won’t kill me if I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262/4 "2006-03-14T21:14:20Z")
Before starting on anything that’s bound to be annoying or difficult, I eat chocolate. Seriously, it seems to help. That and the baby steps thing are about all I use. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-a-system-to-improve-your-motivation-productivity/348262/5 "2006-03-14T23:12:51Z")
**Billdo** , that, strangely, has been my experience as well. :dubious: Fascinating. Good advice about breaking things down, **Dragon Drop** and **Nava**. That’s been a big help for me. That’s what I use the Task Progress Tracker for. I have made up my own forms, with room for 25 tasks, and I currently have five (!) of them filled up for my thesis work, each one with varying number of things completed or . . . not. The TPT takes the baby-step idea one step further by giving you a line of bubbles to fill in, one bubble for 15 minutes spent. If even your baby-step seems too intimidating, you can tell yourself that you’re going to do 15 minutes on it, then skip on to something else. I also find it incredibly freeing to _write down_ everything, every little step I can think of. Then it’s _out_ of my head and I don’t have to worry about it any more, and I can skip around to my heart’s content without worrying about forgetting anything. I’ve never had any luck with rewarding myself, though. I always end up deciding that, meh, I can live without the reward. Or else (shame on me) I give myself the reward anyway. Even when I reach my goal, and go off and do the reward, I dunno, I guess I don’t connect it up in any important way with reaching the goal. But, yet, filling in bubbles, woooo! I find that extremely fulfilling and rewarding. How weird is that? **kelly** , they’d have to roll me into my thesis defense on heavy-duty rolly-cart. Oy!