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Chapter 55 of the book Self-Help
Stuff That Works by Adam Khan:
A Terrible Thing to Waste
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DO YOU SOMETIMES feel tired? Listless? It might be boredom. Some
tasks are just plain boring, and when your mind is bored, it starts
shutting down or drifting off and going to sleep. To stay awake, you
must engage your mind. Here are a couple of ideas to help you:
Move faster.
This makes your mind pay closer attention in order to avoid
mistakes. This demand for increased attention wakes you up,
focuses your mind and makes the task more challenging. You can
speed up without feeling unpleasantly stressed: Make it like a
game. How much can you get done in the next half hour? Set a
target and see if you can reach it. This makes a tedious task less
boring and, as a bonus, frees up more time for things you like to
do.
Listen to something.
Everyone knows it’s more fun to do physical work while
listening to good music than it is working in silence. Music
engages your mind to some degree. But there is something that
engages your mind more completely: talking. There has been a
virtual explosion in the publishing industry of books and seminars
on audiotape. Many people who commute to work have converted that
boring and otherwise unproductive time into a mind-engaging
education. The amount of material available on tape is staggering.
In the next few years, using only the time you spend driving and
doing household chores, you can learn a foreign language, listen
to countless great books read to you by the best readers in
America, and transform boring routines into an opportunity to
expand your mind.
There’s another kind of value to tapes. Often it doesn’t
matter what you have learned. Even if you could recite it, some
practical knowledge matters only if you have it in mind. Ideas
about human relations are like that. I have pretty much memorized
the principles in Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and
Influence People, but when I am face-to-face with a real human
being, I often forget it all. It isn’t fresh in my mind —
it’s stored away somewhere. For this kind of knowledge, it’s
better to listen to a little every day. Then the ideas will be in
the front of your mind when you need them.
USE THESE two ideas to make boring tasks more interesting to your
mind. Move faster, listen to something, or both. A mind is truly a
terrible thing to waste. Brains are made to be constantly
interested. Brains aren’t like muscles; muscles get tired when
they are used too much. Brains get tired when they aren’t used
enough. Brains not only get tired, but over time, they can become
smaller and more feeble.
Research is now showing that it is a myth that people lose their
mental ability with age. What they have found is that people who
don’t continue to use their mental abilities — people who
don’t continue to learn and grow — lose their mental ability
with age. Learning and growing is for everyone, young and old alike.
Even during a boring task, you can find a way to engage your mind.
During a dull task, move faster or listen to
something.
Here's a technique to use when you're having a hard time
accomplishing your goals because other people seem to
interfere with you.
Use What You Get
Scientists have found out some interesting facts about
happiness. And much of your happiness is under your influence.
Science of Happiness
Find peace of mind, tranquility in body, and clarity of
purpose with this simple method.
Constitutional Right
The questions you ask direct your mind. Asking the right
kind of questions makes a big difference.
Why Ask Why?
A simple change in perspective can make you feel better and
can also make you more effective at dealing with the
situation. Here's one way to change your perspective.
Adventure
What if maximizing your full potential was bad for you?
Be All You Can Be
This is a simple technique for reducing a little of the
stress you feel day to day. Its biggest advantage is youcan
use it while you work.
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