SchoolisHard

One great thing for humans about still basically being animals is that we can condition ourselves to do things. A couple days ago while watching a movie, a song began playing during one of the scenes that made me do something very bizarre. As soon as this song started playing, I stood up and looked to the left without a second thought. I’m not crazy, I promise; I can tell you why it happened.

Last year I was involved in a production of the Importance of Being Earnest. Before the start of each show, this song was the cue that I needed to walk out on stage and get in position for the lights to come on. The state of mind this song put me in every time I heard it was one of fearlessness and resolve to do a good job. Until this week, I had not heard that song since the final time the curtain went up.

But do you know what happened? Upon coming to my senses and realizing that I couldn’t go on stage in my boxers, I felt this tremendous desire to start working on some projects I had previously considered not really interesting. If a feeling like this can come from a song I haven’t heard in almost a year, imagine the effect personal conditioning could have on your level of productivity and motivation.

Here are a few ways I have actively applied conditioning:

Music

Along the same lines, but very targeted. I go so far as to have particular bands or composers represent certain subjects. Whenever it is time to work on a particular subject, I load up the corresponding playlist.

Light

This works best when you have a small desk lamp or something similar. The goal is to have a source of light that is only on when you are about to get things done or in the process of doing so. Grab one of those light bulbs that produce less-yellow light if you can. It feels a lot more comfortable to work under gentle white light.

Food/Drink

I always have special study food on hand. Any time I have to do some extensive reading, I grab a peanut butter dipped granola bar and get cracking. I try to avoid bottles of water because they make my brain start gearing up for exercise.

Wake-Up Rewards

You could take the “I woke up late, so I am punishing myself by eating four stalks of celery” approach, but it’s much more appealing to your brain if you keep a pack of fun size candy laying around. Give yourself a piece every time you wake up on time. (TIP: I just use candy as an example. I don’t advocate candy for breakfast for anybody but myself.)

Studies suggest that it takes about 3 weeks to develop a habit. The more you practice, the better your results will be. What areas of your life could use some conditioning?

*rings bell*

Get to it!