Willpower Ch 3

Genesis To-Do List and Self-Control

• Creation in the Bible was a scheduled project, broken down into daily tasks, like a to-do list
• Daily tasks included creating light, dividing light and darkness, naming them (day and night), firmament, land, trees, stars, fish, fowl, man, and woman.
• God reviewed the end of the week, declaring everything "very good."
• The Genesis strategy is analogous to setting a goal, making a list of steps, completing them, and relaxing.
• However, mortals often struggle to complete their to-do lists.

Self-Regulation and Goals

• Self-control, or self-regulation, requires a clear goal.
• Self-regulation involves intentional, meaningful change toward a specific goal.
• Goals are crucial for self-control; without goals, change is aimless.
• The problem is often not a lack of goals, but too many goals.

Conflicting Goals and Productivity

• Daily to-do lists often contain more work than can be accomplished in a week due to interruptions and unrealistic expectations.
• Long-term goals can be overly ambitious, leading to frustration and failure.
• Benjamin Franklin's attempt at moral perfection illustrates the struggle with conflicting goals; he recognized the need to focus on one virtue at a time to avoid distraction.

Proximal vs. Distal Goals

• Proximal goals (short-term) are more effective for building confidence and self-efficacy
• Distal goals (long-term) might be useful for older children when there is a clear connection between daily tasks and long-term goals, as seen in some high school students' study habits

Fuzzy vs. Fussy Planning

• Monthly plans are generally more effective and flexible than daily plans, especially for students with weaker study habits. Daily plans are time-consuming and inflexible.
• Flexibility is key for adjusting to life's unexpected delays.
• Historical examples, like Napoleon's military strategies, illustrate the value of adaptable plans.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Horizons

• Drug addicts, alcoholics, and smokers often favor short-term rewards, even if long-term outcomes are less beneficial
• Income level may correlate with the length of time people consider when setting goals, with higher incomes tending to consider the long-term horizon.
• Failing to consider long-term consequences (financial or otherwise) can have harmful results.

The Zeigarnik Effect

• The Zeigarnik effect describes the tendency of uncompleted tasks and unmet goals to persist in one's mind.
• The effect causes mental distraction and worry when tasks are left unfinished.
• Making a plan helps to resolve and resolve these persistent thoughts.

The GTD System (Getting Things Done)

• David Allen's system helps individuals deal with distracting thoughts, overload, and complex tasks.
• The initial phase of the system is the collection of "stuff" and the second phase is the processing of that stuff, determining whether to do, delegate, defer, or drop each item.
• The system prioritizes the next actionable step, eliminates distractions, and creates a "mind like water" and "no worries" state of mind.

Additional Points

• The GTD system is a technique of planning for the future with various elements like the tickler file, which provides a method of systematically tackling tasks
• Conflicting goals lead to worry, reduced productivity, and negative health effects
• The pursuit of goals requires patience and persistence, aiming for self- improvement over perfectionism.
• The most important action step is to make plans rather than leaving tasks open-ended.