I usually understand why I should do (or avoid doing) a thing, but that understanding in and of itself doesn’t translate into usable motivational fuel. It doesn’t matter if the task is critical to something I care deeply about, or entirely irrelevant and a giant waste of my time. What matters is whether or not my brain feels like doing it. Sometimes I really can’t do something unless my brain cooperates. It feels like a hostage negotiation. Sometimes I can push through a task with my brain kicking and screaming “I don’t wanna!” and actually get the thing done. But there’s a trade-off: it takes
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