Are “small wins” the secret to conquering procrastination?

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Tim Pychyl, author of The Procrastinator’s Digest, says that any trivial progress can motivate and boost positive emotions that will help build a productive momentum.

So just do the smallest, quickest thing you can and see if that doesn’t get you going.

Via NOW:

Our research found that people are more creative and productive when they’re feeling positive emotions and have more positive impressions of their work environment. This applies to everyday life as well. What’s important is making progress on meaningful work. Even if the progress is a small win, something that looks incremental, almost trivial, it can provide a tremendous boost to people’s intrinsic motivation and positive emotions. That’s what we call the power of ‘small wins.’ Some small wins people set up for themselves through interim goals. That’s the progress principle, how small wins can help you move forward. There is a feedback loop: creativity and productivity feed on each other.

This lines up with research I’ve posted before about progress and motivation as well as the power of little efforts to help us get productive.

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