THE ALTERNATIVE PRINCIPLE
How to be more effective
What is killing your dreams?
Time mismanagement is the number one thing killing dreams in the world today.
Why do we mismanage time?
Your brain tricks you into taking the path of least resistance. The brain likes to conserve energy and it is very persuasive in that aspect. Think about all of the times that grand goals have been set only to be squashed by a netflix binge.
Time ticks away and at the end of the day the to do list remains just as full as the morning if not more so. Time is not under your control at this point.
How to take control of time
The most important thing you can do to take control of your time is setting deadlines. Set a deadline for a goal and you will be forced to reach that goal in the allotted time. This creates a sense of urgency in your brain.
For example think of two goal setters,
The first person says they will start a running habit.
The second person says they will run 30 miles in 30 days.
Which one is more likely to achieve their goal? While the first person knows deep down that they should be running they fail to do so most of the time. This is because their brain already has a plan B, they can run tomorrow and they can scroll through Instagram today. This creates a never ending cycle until they completely forget about their goal.
The second person knows that they only have thirty days to complete their goal so they pull out all the cards and kick themselves into overdrive. They could scroll Instagram today but they will be set behind on their goal by doing so. They opt for a run today instead.
The brain does not like to fail. You can use this to your advantage or you can be a victim of it. If the goal has a time limit you will try as hard as you can not to fail. If there is no time limit then you can be tricked into not even starting because starting something new creates an opportunity for failure. If there are no real guidelines then it is much easier to just say that you don’t like running and never do it, thus you can never fail.
Keep in mind when setting a time limit that most of the time the work will expand to fill the time. Do not give yourself so much time as to procrastinate, also do not give yourself so little time as to throw off life balance. You must critically think about a realistic goal.
The alternative principle
There is one question that you can ask yourself to accelerate your goals.
What would I do instead?
This seems very simple at first, and that is exactly why it works so well. Once you actually think about it the alternative seems irrational. If this question is answered honestly then most would be foolish to pick the alternative.
Take for example the 30 miles in 30 days goal setter. They do not want to run because it is a new habit and it requires putting in work, they then ask the question.
What would they be doing instead? They could watch Youtube videos. Well that just sounds silly. Imagine they tell that to their friends. It is not a good story. Instead they go for the run and they feel great about themselves and get to share it with people if they wish. They do not have to beat themselves up over a failure.
This is the alternative principle, take a look at the alternatives to a goal and they seem truly irrational. So set a time limit and get to work living out your dreams!
