Self-Discipline for Tedious, Boring, and Difficult Things

“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” —Carl Sandburg

“Time is the coin of your life.

Being engaged in deep work can feel great—and procrastinators are sometimes surprised by just how much they can do once they’ve gotten started. But resist the temptation to do just five more minutes, even if you’re feeling really engaged.

he entire system falls apart if you’re muddling through your work with half a brain or thinking about all the things you’re going to do while you’re supposed to be relaxing.

Being successful, accomplishing your goals, and being disciplined and focused means applying your efforts to the things that are genuinely under your control.

Being uninspired, unfocused, and lacking purpose and motivation means applying your efforts to things that are not under your control and never will be.

fifty-two minutes and then take a seventeen-minute break

Pomodoro Technique, which is a simple time management method that involves twenty-five-minute focused work intervals (pomodoros) followed by five-minute breaks, with a longer break after four cycles.

This isn’t cheating or magic, but efficiency—when you acknowledge that the human body is naturally inclined to function in sprints rather than prolonged slog sessions, you boost not only your output, but your health and well-being.

There’s no point in “working hard”—that’s for pack mules and slaves. By the time you can feel yourself forcing through tiredness, boredom, and lack of concentration, you are already losing quality. It’s like squeezing a grape that has no juice left in it

First things first, good time management is not about juggling, working faster, or taking clever shortcuts. Instead, it’s about the intelligent use of time. When you use time intelligently, there is always enough of it.

Isn’t there a way to live an ultra-productive, successful life without having to spend so much effort?