When looking ahead at my work week, I often have a really strong sense of being able to accomplish many things in very little time. I know this is possible, and I have had this experience, but when the time comes to do these things, I frequently end up procrastinating, or working very inefficiently, and I’m easily distracted.

I recently began reading “Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives”, by Gretchen Rubin. She writes about four different tendencies people have in responding to expectation. I thoroughly resonated with her description of “Obligers” – people who readily meet outer expectations, but struggle to meet inner expectations. I have difficulty, at times, to motivate myself to change my habits, and I rely heavily on external accountability. This explains why I am so easily concerned about what others think of me, and why I worry about whether or not people like me. Knowing about this tendency, and its advantages and limitations, is helping me to realize how I can develop habits that I want in my life, like being efficient with my time, and not procrastinating – like getting shit done. I can use what I know about the need for external motivators to my advantage to help me meet my internal expectations. That’s the plan, anyway.

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