Self-Discipline for Tedious, Boring, and Difficult Things

None of us can control the fact that there are some annoying tasks and obligations we’re required to do in life, but we can control how we do those things and the way we think about them.

the more immersed you are and the fewer distractions you indulge in, the quicker the work goes and the less tired you feel.

“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

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.

“Time is the coin of your life.

When you are working, do nothing but work. When you are resting, do nothing but rest.

The “low-hanging fruit”

what ideas you want to develop, or follow, or explore when you pick up the writing again the next day. This step will help you get started more easily each day, and it will save you an enormous amount of energy and angst.”

You’ll come to a point at which you start to tire and feel like there’s not much left in your writing reservoir for the day. This is the time to begin to summarize for yourself where you’ve been, to write down your puzzlements or unanswered questions, to do what Kennet Skier, who taught writing at M.I.T. many years ago, calls “parking on the downhill slope”: sketching out in writing what your next step is likely to be,