And it just so happens that it’s one of the main things I need help with. And you probably need some help, too, right? Because, seriously, why does it take so much effort to start a new habit or actually finish a project. Tell me I’m not alone, and that boring life-admin tasks stay on your to-do list for months, too, because you think they will probably take hours. And then when you actually sit your butt down and do them, it’s all done in an hour. To reach the finish line, set compelling, specific goals – and have fun! You're not going to have just one goal, which means you will inevitably attempt to juggle goals. Fishbach shares different goal systems and ways of categorizing goals. For instance, you might categorize goals into the categories social connection, wealth, and health. Then, you might sub-categorize goals among those categories: finding a spouse, finishing a degree, getting a promotion, meeting exercise goals, and so on. P40 “According to the dilution principle,” the more goals, including incentives, a single activity serves, the more weakly we associate the activity with our central goal and the less instrumental the activity seems for this goal.” P88 dynamics of “commitment promotes consistency” i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous vs. “progress promotes balancing” i.e. most dieting programs

In her insightful new book Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation (debuting January 4 from Little Brown Spark), Fishbach takes on the questions that plague us most: great goals: are not proxies/means to other goals, are specific, have potential to fail, great incentives, intrinsicSo how do you motivate yourself to pursue your dreams and desires when life is in full swing? It all starts with choosing the right goal. Fishbach explains scenarios where people work harder when others are watching (thre social facilitation effect), as well as cases when performance on complex tasks is hindered by an audience. She also explains how to bypass the social loafing effect, which is a motivation deficit that often occurs when working with others on group projects. Overall, this was a useful section. Get it done! Whether starting a new diet, running a marathon, or gunning for a promotion, Get It Done illuminates invaluable strategies for propelling yourself in whatever direction you want to go—so you can achieve your goals while staying healthy, clear-headed, and happy. pay attention and make the middle moments memorable when you want to give up; set subgoals; create landmarks

It started well enough, reasonably paced. Plenty of examples and anecdotes and breakdown of the theory behind it all. First, frame it as the end in itself rather than a means to another goal. For example, say your goal is “finding a job” rather than “applying for a job.” You want your goals to be exciting – not a chore. Some of her suggestions felt like commonsense. For example, break goals into sub-goals. Break large projects into weekly assignments so you don't lose steam midway through. Set milestones, so you're always at the beginning of a new milestone or close to reaching the next one—minimize time that's just "in the middle".each additional action has a larger perceived impact on the progress (0-1/10=10%, 6-7/10=25% of remaining)

P211 “As with all others in your life, your role model’s stated goals for themselves and others are going to motivated you even more than their actions. So you’ll want to choose a role model who doesn’t only do well, but also expects themselves and others to do well.”Sure, the Baron’s story defies the laws of physics, but its symbolism is clear: self-motivation is the key to moving forward. Find ways to make the activity fun. If something is more enjoyable, it becomes intrinsically rewarding and much easier to accomplish. For instance, finding exercise and foods that you enjoy that help you towards fitness goals. If you don't enjoy something intrinsically, you will eventually avoid it and give up on it. Even the most dreary tasks can be livened up somehow.