{"id":857,"date":"2008-10-22T10:00:31","date_gmt":"2008-10-22T17:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/22\/itchy-chair-motivation\/"},"modified":"2019-03-07T15:30:57","modified_gmt":"2019-03-07T23:30:57","slug":"itchy-chair-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/22\/itchy-chair-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"Itchy Chair Motivation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/lisa_yarost\/1306272386\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/10\/itchychair.png\" alt=\"ItchyChair.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick hypothetical question:<\/strong> where would you get more work done?&nbsp; Lying on a beach with your friends, or sitting alone in an office room?<\/p>\n<p>I would wager that the majority of people would be far more productive in the office room.&nbsp; The beach is great, but between distracting conversation of friends and the lazy rays of the sun, it isn\u2019t a work-finishing environment.<\/p>\n<h2>Using Discomfort to Motivate Yourself<\/h2>\n<p>I think this principle is true of a lot of things: when everything is going perfectly, fewer things get done.&nbsp; Chris Guillebeau of <em>The Art of Nonconformity<\/em> had a <a href=\"http:\/\/chrisguillebeau.com\/3x5\/the-link-between-security-and-complacency\/\">great entry recently<\/a> on how uncertainty motivates him.&nbsp; I would generalize his theory to say that the low periods in your life are often your most productive.<\/p>\n<p>Think if you were sitting on an itchy chair.&nbsp; The discomfort would probably give you motivation to get up and do something.&nbsp; It\u2019s the soft, leather recliners that make you want to go to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>For myself, I know that the periods I got the most work done for this website wasn\u2019t when I was earning a reasonable income.&nbsp; It was when I was bringing in pennies a day that I did the most work on projects.<\/p>\n<h2>Ride the Ebbs<\/h2>\n<p>Success usually isn\u2019t a constant, it\u2019s an ebb and flow.&nbsp; You\u2019ll have a period of months where nothing can stop you, and you enjoy wins with few exceptions.&nbsp; Then there are also periods of uncomfortable setbacks.<\/p>\n<p>Although most people constantly seek the enjoyable wins, I think the flow of good and bad can be helpful.&nbsp; During an ebb you can use the discomfort to motivate yourself to new heights.&nbsp; The productivity you assert in your ebb phase makes the next flow phase that much better.<\/p>\n<h2>Discomfort Isn\u2019t the Sole Motivator<\/h2>\n<p>An itchy chair isn\u2019t the only way to motivate yourself.&nbsp; You can be motivated by a feeling of purpose, or a creative passion.&nbsp; People aren\u2019t trapped in choosing between unmotivated pleasantness and motivated discomfort.&nbsp; You can be happy and ambitious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2008\/05\/20\/youre-allowed-to-be-happy-and-ambitious-at-the-same-time\/\">at the same time<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>However, if you find yourself sitting in an uncomfortable position, why not use it?&nbsp; Instead of viewing the dip in your life as a weakness, make it a point of strength.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve found that I improve myself more when I\u2019m outside a relationship, than in one.&nbsp; While this is far from a universal truth, being alone can spur you to make changes you otherwise wouldn\u2019t.&nbsp; The lack of comfort and security give you nothing to relax against, and you can push yourself forward.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, some people find the opposite true: when they are in a relationship, they are able to focus more.&nbsp; You need to twist what you&#8217;ve got to make it work for you.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re alone, use the extra time and freedom to push yourself forward.&nbsp; If you&#8217;re together, use the extra emotional support to focus.&nbsp; The same applies whether you&#8217;re poor or rich, unhealthy or fit, busy or have unlimited time.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying you should avoid doing things that will make you comfortable or happy.&nbsp; That will probably result in even less motivation.&nbsp; But you should recognize what part of the wave you\u2019re in, and learn how to ride it.&nbsp; If you happen to be in a position of recession, use that to drive you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quick hypothetical question: where would you get more work done?&nbsp; Lying on a beach with your friends, or sitting alone in an office room? I would wager that the majority of people would be far more productive in the office room.&nbsp; The beach is great, but between distracting conversation of friends and the lazy rays [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9,680],"tags":[227,226,25,38,225],"class_list":{"0":"post-857","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-courage","7":"category-nc-productivity","8":"tag-depression","9":"tag-itchy-chair","10":"tag-motivation","11":"tag-productivity","12":"tag-wave","13":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Itchy Chair Motivation - Scott H Young<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Using discomfort as a tool to drive productivity is something I recommend for various reasons. 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