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Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

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Re: Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

#5
Strange how many people believe this is a self-description until they see it in somebody else. Most people, despite their self-delusions, are not this and are actually deeply offended when they do see it or blindly follow it, such as the worship around Steve Jobs.

Re: Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

#7
Yes, I think there are at least five. So this is a list of at least five, but not the five I think.

Several of them feel like variations of the same theme: I know I'm right, so I can disregard evidence|opinion|counter-argument because .. an axiom of the system is I know I'm right.

If I had a sixth, it would be the tendency to latch onto a mantra. "think different" doesn't really mean very much, but boy, successful people who get stuff done like to say it.

(I'm not a person who gets stuff done btw. the mantra my get-stuff-done colleagues say which feels apposite is: "do the shit work first" which kind of makes sense: they don't procrastinate about things they'd rather not do)

Another one: seventh might be they believe implicitly they are the smartest person in the room

Re: Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

#8
post #3

Under Personal Exceptionalism, it says “not to be confused with arrogance or high self-esteem”; but how are they different?

Personal exceptionalism is when everybody tells you how and wrong and stupid you are and regardless you produce a superior product or convention. It wouldn't happen if you actually listened to the idiots around you.

Arrogance is telling the people around you how they are idiots instead of producing a superior product or convention.

Think about it in terms of your performance (output) instead of your opinions (what you say).

Re: Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

#9
I found the slide for "Cognitive behaviour model of depression" very interesting, it's probably the best visualisation of depression taking over someones mind leading to a paralysis where simple tasks become something else and chaos emerges.

Ego does, sometimes, gets in the way of getting things done but without it we wouldn't care to launch anything new/groundbreaking. Without our Ego as creator, we would have no soul in my opinion.

Anyone who freelances, creates something alone, goes solo as a startup founder etc. needs these "cognitive distortions"/"mental disorders", I see them as necessary beliefs. The opposite would be someone who just blends into and becomes yet another functional toothed wheel without any manifestation of desires. A good portion of our society is like these, some people don't want more and are happy/contented.

We need these self beliefs/"lies" to wake up on the next day and keep moving forward. I guess this is a form of inner power/motivation without relying on our environment and/or friends. As a solo freelancer, I do "suffer" from some of these because at the end of day: this is what drives me forward.

Re: Cognitive Distortions of People Who Get Stuff Done (2012) [pdf]

#10
post #7

Yes, I think there are at least five. So this is a list of at least five, but not the five I think. Several of them feel like variations of the same theme: I know I'm right, so I can disregard evidence|opinion|counter-argument because .. an axiom of the system is I know I'm right. If I had a sixth, it would be the tendency to latch onto a mantra. "think different" doesn't really mean very much, but boy, successful pe…

> "...it would be the tendency to latch onto a mantra. "think different" doesn't really mean very much, but boy, successful people who get stuff done like to say it."

True. But reading you say it now makes it sound less like GTD and more like they do the right (different) things. Things that yield results; which makes the lead up look important. Kinda the tasks are a symptom more than a means, if that makes sense.

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