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The Art of Not Thinking

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Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#81

Post by hinkley »

tmatthe wrote: post #63
darkerside wrote: post #13

If you are in a similar boat, it's likely that when you consider an upcoming dreaded task, there is at least a small part of you that admits the possibility that you will not do the task . And because there is, and because your brain realizes it, it expends mental energy trying to convince you not to do it. Once you are actually doing the task, or it's done, or you realize that you must start doing it immediately, yo…

Exactly. If you don't give your brain an option, you can't find a way to not do it. I agree with your point on lying. I have tried it before but it takes a lot of mental effort to trick my brain and even then, it's a precarious situation where one loose thought can bring it all tumbling down.

Part of discipline is not allowing 'in the moment' you to disagree with 'careful planning' you.

I know one or two people who have a lot of chaos in their lives who cannot do this. One in particular gets positively defensive if you ask in the car what you plan to accomplish by going into this store.

You can hardly call it 'buying extra things' if you refuse to articulate what the expected set of things was in the first place. She spends so much time de-cluttering and often doesn't have money for group activities despite being in essentially the same income bracket. Ten seconds making a plan doesn't have to turn into a whole avoidant 'ruining the experience' vibe of the trip. Also, no store is designed to make you enjoy it. It's merely designed for long- versus short-term ROI, and certain kinds of enjoyment can benefit one or the other. Enjoying a trip to the mall is expensive as hell.

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#82

Post by aprdm »

tomxor wrote: post #70

A more specific tactic I have discovered to avoid thinking and start straight away is to make a very quick promise to myself: That I can quit as soon as I get too bored or hit a block of some kind - this relieves me of all the concerns that I might need to worry (think) about upfront, I waved those requirements when I allowed myself that quick exit. Most of the time you just end up persevering, and due to the nature…

On top of this I also like to think that if I ended up doing anything it was better than doing nothing. Just trying to make yourself a little better every day can go long ways

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#83

Post by rzzzt »

eebynight wrote: post #43
ajkdhcb2 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is all abysmal, dangerous advice. The author says to 'become a robot' and you're saying to 'lie to yourself'. It's all very anti-Zen. I think Alan Watts would say it leads to double-binds and discordant psychological feedback loops that will cause you suffering. Your brain isn't a separate part of you. And you should simply be mindful and fully aware of life, do what you want and enjoy doing, when you fe…

You say this as if you have complete control over your thoughts and the content of your sub conscious mind, which you don’t... Half the battle of accomplishing anything in life is priming your subconscious mind with the right line of thinking for the task at hand. If you reframe it that way this is fantastic advice. Edit: I might also add your subconscious mind could very well be considered a separate entity consider…

(It also might be partially residing in the gut.)

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#84

Post by TrackerFF »

When I was younger, I could work out just fine, off nothing more than pure motivation and drive. I did that for a solid 5 years - lost 70 lbs, gained weight and muscle, and transformed my body. Good times.

But then around my mid 20s, working out just got boring. My body started deteriorating, which made working out even harder.

Sad to say, these days I can't even do a light jog without something to distract me from the jogging itself. Either music in my ears, or some TV-screen on the treadmill.

But once I can focus on something else, I can work out just fine.

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#85

Post by mopierotti »

atdixon wrote: post #73

Similarly I tried to get myself to exercise for years and years. I must have discovered the same approach as this author. I stopped any kind of thinking about it and focused on observing myself drive to the gym, get in the pool, do the strokes, etc. If my verbal ("thinking") centers of my brain needed to say something I would only let them describe what I was doing ("You are driving to the gym", "you are putting your…

I've also recently started trying to do this: to try to have my conscious mind be in charge of observing/understanding only. It works, but it kind of scares me.

It scares me because it feels similar to the mindset I have when watching a movie. What if I become more interested in the plot than the well-being of the main character?

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#86

Post by volkk »

lightveil wrote: post #47
ajkdhcb2 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this is all abysmal, dangerous advice. The author says to 'become a robot' and you're saying to 'lie to yourself'. It's all very anti-Zen. I think Alan Watts would say it leads to double-binds and discordant psychological feedback loops that will cause you suffering. Your brain isn't a separate part of you. And you should simply be mindful and fully aware of life, do what you want and enjoy doing, when you fe…

My problem with this is the fact that, as it turns out, what I enjoy doing is browsing Reddit/Youtube/Netflix etc. to the exclusion of everything else. The internet has provided me with sufficient distractions-and they are immediately enjoyable enough-that longterm enjoyment/skill-building just doesn't provide me the sense of 'I want to do this' that other shortterm, immediately rewarding activities do.

you know, i'm sort of in the same boat except i realize its more of an addiction than an actual joy that leaves me fulfilled. i hate scrolling through reddit mindlessly and yet i always get pulled back into it. and i bounce between here and reddit for like 20 minutes until i snap out of it. short term im feeling satisfied, but deep within i feel like shit.

the best feeling i get is when i pick up a book or watch a documentary or go and enjoy the weather outside. it truly boosts my mood and makes me feel like a human

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#87

Post by nuclearnice1 »

ajkdhcb2 wrote: post #36
darkerside wrote: post #13

If you are in a similar boat, it's likely that when you consider an upcoming dreaded task, there is at least a small part of you that admits the possibility that you will not do the task . And because there is, and because your brain realizes it, it expends mental energy trying to convince you not to do it. Once you are actually doing the task, or it's done, or you realize that you must start doing it immediately, yo…

I think this is all abysmal, dangerous advice. The author says to 'become a robot' and you're saying to 'lie to yourself'. It's all very anti-Zen. I think Alan Watts would say it leads to double-binds and discordant psychological feedback loops that will cause you suffering. Your brain isn't a separate part of you. And you should simply be mindful and fully aware of life, do what you want and enjoy doing, when you fe…

Your comment rang very true to me. Thank you for posting it.

What would you recommend to read more about the Alan Watts topics you reference?

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#88

Post by javier10e6 »

agumonkey wrote: post #58
darkerside wrote: post #13

If you are in a similar boat, it's likely that when you consider an upcoming dreaded task, there is at least a small part of you that admits the possibility that you will not do the task . And because there is, and because your brain realizes it, it expends mental energy trying to convince you not to do it. Once you are actually doing the task, or it's done, or you realize that you must start doing it immediately, yo…

Instead of lying I'd use the make it fun. Find any reason to make that task enjoyable, flip it around, organize it differently. At work (temporary gig): - manual labour == free workout. Whenever I have to crouch for a file.. I do it in a slow and perfect squat. I grab the file and stay down to strecth, then I go up swift .. I'm happy to have that file because I gained something. Other task like archive defragmenting…

Your comment reminded Principal Skinner in The Simpsons telling Bart to make a game of sharpening a stack of pencils: "Count the number of pencils you sharpened in one hour and try to beat your record"

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#89

Post by closeparen »

ajkdhcb2 wrote: post #48
dx87 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to spend their life doing what they enjoy, whenever they want. I'd bet that avoiding adversity at all costs is a bigger contributor to anxiety and depression because unless you live an incredibly privileged life, you'll eventually have to deal with things you don't want to.

If an action is going to minimise anxiety and depression in the long run, then it's what you want to do, so no mind-games and lying to yourself should be required.

And yet many people find them necessary for e.g. exercise.

Re: The Art of Not Thinking

#90

Post by FactCore »

Been doing this for a few years without assigning a name to it. It works wonders for someone who is a chronic procrastinator like myself. I'd also like to add: If you can set a schedule to "just to it" for a reoccurring task, that helps immensely in reducing brain strain.
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