Welcome to post number 100 on Supermorning 🙂

By now you know the drill with intelligent environment design: maximize friction related to bad actions and remove all friction from good actions. 

Over the past two days, we’ve covered Craving and Inspiration and Ego and Altruism. Our next targets are Sloth and Flow.

Sloth

There are several ways to tame your Sloth. The most common way is to make a public commitment to get something big done by a certain deadline, In this way, you get Ego and Worry to team up against Sloth, forcing it to give way. 

If the experience of meeting the deadline is very unpleasant, however, Sloth will become stronger. A great overgrown Sloth is best avoided, so this tactic should be used carefully. Don’t make promises you can’t keep and avoid making new promises before you’ve delivered on existing ones. 

A safer method is to rid your environment of any bait for your Sloth. For example, digital distractions can be very effectively blocked during working hours with apps like RescueTime. On your phone, turn off notifications from distracting apps and move them away from your home screen.

But the best way to keep your Sloth under control is to build a positive relationship with your work. Such a relationship is excellent bait for Flow. 

Flow

Reaching a point where your work is the reward in and of itself is one of the best things you can do in life. I think anyone should have a plan for making this happen. 

What productive labor would you be willing to do for free? What skills, contacts and other resources do you need? Could you gather all the necessary ingredients over a period of five years?

Yes, reaching a point where Flow becomes your default productive state will probably take years of careful planning and patient strategic execution. But this mission by itself can already start to bring Flow into your life.

Get started on such a mission. It’s so worth it!

Aside from this holy mission to find your purpose in life, you’ll do well to make your working environment as comfortable and efficient as possible.

Really do everything in your power to enhance the experience of adding value. For example, I’m writing this from a comfortable chair under a warm blanket in front of my TV (which serves as a big computer screen). It’s a genuinely pleasant experience 🙂

I really hope these environmental design tips can help you to shrink your Sloth and find you Flow. Effortless productivity truly is the gift that keeps on giving!

See you tomorrow when we tackle Frustration and Tolerance!