I’m a list-maker. Almost a compulsive one. To-do lists, packing lists, and shopping lists. My condo is littered with them, much to my wife’s annoyance. But I’m sure we’ve all struggled with trying to find ways to get every last item completed. Suddenly a device that is intended to make our lives easier starts driving us nuts. So, what should we do?
Over at brainpickings.org, there is a great review of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. Based on the review, I ended up adding the book to my wish list (another list!). It looks like the book offers a bunch of tips, based on academic research and also practical application. But Maria Popova (@brainpicker) highlights this one: keep it short, keep it specific, and keep it limited to actionable steps that don’t conflict with one another. Even if you disagree with the conclusions, it looks like the book will offer you tons of options to experiment with. Good luck, and be productive!
>And if you haven’t already bookmarked brainpickings.org and followed @brainpicker, do so right now.