Quote:
Originally Posted by p2 dog, p2
not a reader, been a long time since I finished a book. most of my reading comes via the web, through forums, twitter, and then the things upon those that lead to occasional articles. I also read some blogs occasionally, in general, web based stuff.
been thinking of picking up a book to help my mindset. some kind of reading that will help me hold myself more accountable, less giving into temptations(weed and brew, junk food), reaching my potential every day(none of this stuff is out of control, just want to improve). But really I simply want something that is going to help my mental toughness, something that will help me do the things I know I should be doing and choose not to do and vice versa, cut out the things I know I should not be partaking in. And again, this can pertain from less marijuana(first mention , maybe I should pick up a "quitting weed" book), to not opening a bag of combos or binge eating 8 shortbread cookies at a poker game, to being more dedicated to poker study, to committing to more challenging exercises, etc.
broaden my horizons, strengthen my mind! recommendations?
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport as I've said a bunch of times. Also his blog posts, especially the ones that have to do with making weekly and daily schedules for yourself.
Don't try to do everything at once.
Beyond books: "Jerry Seinfeld"'s productivity trick has worked wonders for me:
http://lifehacker.com/281626/jerry-s...ctivity-secret (make an "X" on a wall calendar every day you do the thing; eventually you have a chain that you will not want to break). Commit to a very small amount - for example, studying poker just 10 minutes per day. Something that you can easily do even if you get to the end of an exhausting day and realize you haven't done. The pain of breaking a long chain will outweigh your tiredness for a measly 10 minutes.
If you doubt that 10 minutes a day will do anything: in 10 minutes per day since January 1st, I have read an unpublished David Lynch screenplay, read FilmCritHulk's
Screenwriting 101 Kindle book (300+ pages), and written over 20 pages of my own screenplay. I have come to believe that just committing to tiny
regular actions can be massively effective. If I'd said "okay 1 hour of writing a script every Saturday", or "4 hours every weekend" I never would have kept it going.
(This is a slight lie, as I raised the min time to 15 minutes in mid-February, and of course I go over time sometimes - only when I'm willing. But it's really not a significant exaggeration to say that I got all of that accomplished in 10-15 minutes per day. I have not broken the chain since 1/1/17.)
If I were you, I'd do 10 minutes of poker studying (or some other career learning) and like 5 minutes of intense exercise or something like that. Do not concern yourself with the other things yet. And get the book. Do another 10 minutes per day for reading if you need the motivation. I mostly read in the bathroom so this isn't an issue (not counting the Kindle book as I don't have a Kindle).
Again, do not allow yourself to go to sleep until you've done your requirements for the day. Every day. Start today. Buy a wall calendar with images you like.