Do You Have a Magic Ring?
I do. It’s awesome. Thanks for tuning in, I’ll see you all next –
Oh.
James says I have to tell you how to get a magic ring of your own. He does not seem to grasp that this has two benefits: a) I get a magic ring and you don’t, which is great for me, and b) then I don’t have to write a blog post about it. I have laid down this logic before him and he will not relent, so here is your post.
Men. I ask you.
My friend Casey taught me this trick for learning new habits. He did it for push-ups. I do it for procrastination. He is ripped. I am . . . procrastinating less. Here’s how it works:
Get yourself a piece of jewelry. In Casey’s case (ha), it was a necklace with one of those little glass vials, like the one Angelina Jolie used to keep Billy Bob’s blood in (look it up, celebrities are weird).
Casey did not keep blood in his vial. Casey is a perfectly nice guy. Casey kept a little strip of paper in his vial. On the strip of paper, he wrote, “100 push-ups.”
This was the number of push-ups Casey wanted to be able to do. In a row. He is a crazy man, but his system is pretty great. Listen up.
Every time Casey thought about the vial, remembered it, touched it, had it do that irritating thing where a necklace sort of strangles you because it gets caught on something, he cranked out 10 push-ups.
After a week, 10 became too easy. He bumped it up to 25. His arms hurt a lot, so he tried not to think about his necklace. This worked about as well as you might imagine.
You see, when you have something on your person that you must not think about at all costs, it becomes like the joke about pink elephants. People always do this at parties. “Don’t think about pink elephants! HA! You are TOTALLY thinking about them, aren’t you?”
I am never thinking about pink elephants when they do this. I am usually thinking about strangling the person who thinks this is funny. But the point stands. The more you try not to think about something, the more you think about it.
By the time three weeks were up, Casey could do his 100 push-ups.
I just started something similar. I went out and got myself a ring. A nice ring. A fancy ring. A ring that cost me a decent chunk of change. A ring that I could see myself wearing every day.
Every time I look at the ring, I have to assess what I’m doing. Am I working on something productive? No? Then I have to go back to it and work for at least the next fifteen minutes straight.
Usually, once I’ve worked for fifteen minutes, I’ll keep working. You pick up momentum. It’s a good thing.
I am hoping that after a few weeks of this, I won’t even have to look at the ring. I’ll just be able to keep working whenever I want to. Because I’ll have built up the habit. Casey works out his arms, I work out my non-procrastinatory muscles. Eventually they will be so strong that I won’t have to think about keeping them in shape.
Then I’ll get myself another piece of jewelry and start to form a new habit. Hey, look! Bonus! New jewelry!
Get yourself a ring. Or a glass vial on a cord, if you’re a manly dude and don’t want to be wearing jewelry. Or get yourself a nice manly ring. Or a belt buckle. Or a bracelet. Whatever. I highly advocate jewelry, because then you’ll always have it on your person. You can’t accidentally leave it behind – oops! I guess I won’t be working on that today!
Get something you’ll wear every day and feel comfortable about doing so.
Then use it to develop one great new habit for your writing. Or your designing. Or whatever it is that you do in freelance land. Pick something you’ve been trying to do for ages, and use the magic ring.
Just don’t get a vial full of blood. Angelina Jolie can carry that off because she’s Angelina Jolie. But she is the only one.
36 Responses to “Do You Have a Magic Ring?”
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I like you Tei, you’re enabling my spendaholic tendencies! LOL! And James is sooooo bossy….
My Coach gave me a serious butt-kicking yesterday because I’d been procrastinating and avoiding doing what I needed to do. I can see this being a very practical and obvious reminder to myself.
I find that often procrastination/delay is helped along because the task is out of site and out of mind. My to-do list isn’t literally in my face all day (ok, it probably should be) so unpleasant or uncomfortable work can be easily ‘overlooked’ or put off.
So, what to buy……
Melinda´s last blog post…Is Your Business Real or are You Just Playing?
I never quite thought of it this way. But it explains why I focus better with my ring on that I got as a 21st birthday present.
Jewellery or any other accessory you’re used to wearing on your person also forms a comfort zone for you. You know how you’re so used to wearing your wedding ring that you just don’t feel right if it’s off?
The emotional connection you have with your accessory also comes into play.
For all the women out there – this is such a legitimate reason to get that bit of jewellery you totally fell in love with at first sight
Samar´s last blog post…What Travelling Means to a Freelancer
What a fascinating concept. I’m going to have to try it out but I will probably end up procrastinating about buying a piece of jewellery heh
By the way, didn’t you have a tweetmeme button or something on your posts? What happened to it?
@ Marc – the Tweet This plugin was causing the site not to load a few days ago. You’ll have to tweet it manually….
@ Samar – do you think a piercing would count????
Melinda´s last blog post…Is Your Business Real or are You Just Playing?
What if I start with an empty vial then fill it with some of MY OWN blood every time I catch myself not being productive? That might be a strong motivator since I am not fond of bleeding or injury.
@Mel when did you start working on this site?
Tweet This was causing me some problems too so I ditched it and went with Tweetmeme
Mel: I think it would! But the piercing would have to be some place everyone could see. Else the only time you’d remember about your work would be the shower or while changing
Samar´s last blog post…What Travelling Means to a Freelancer
Ooh, amazing post – must steal the idea for my own blog, er, um I mean, get inspired…
I couldn’t do this personally however because I don’t wear jewelry. Maybe I could get another tattoo instead.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome´s last blog post…Standing by Your Decisions
Reminders! They make the world go ’round. Here in the Ling family, we use neon sticky notes attached to anything non-moveable – computer screens, bathroom mirrors, sleeping moosies, etc.etc.etc.
It really does help a lot.
Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach´s last blog post…Making images clickable
Oh man, that is a fantastic idea, Taylor: Imbue a necklace with meaning and drive, and then force yourself to stick to it.
Just pulled out the tiny ivory necklace my wife gave me (I didn’t ask for it, so don’t call me an elephant killer), and am going to do exactly that.
Thanks again.
Jeremy´s last blog post…What Cinderella Can Teach You About Story Stocks With Happy Endings
Two thumbs up! I do the same thing with a green poker chip I keep in my front pocket – every time i touch it, it reminds me to “make my own luck today” by playing a bigger game.
Stumbled.
I wear nail polish for that. Makes me want to dress more professional all the time 24/7 in public no matter what they tell me to wear. Up until the minute I get into the shower or straight to bed.
Unfortunately I will always remember the day the good guy who I intern for told me it’s okay to dress real casual on a slow/after sick day and ended up taking me to the local news channel due to time constraints. I was in flip-flops and wearing a baby tee with a nude girl with guitar held to her chest. Being introduced as the intern – oh man was I going to die :/
What a wonderful post. It had value and made me laugh more than once. I definitely want a magic ring of some sort, except I don’t wear jewelry. Maybe I can adapt my wedding ring.
Writer Dad´s last blog post…The story garden
Melinda – Yeah, I had the same problem with my to-do list. A to-do list also doesn’t necessarily help with habit-forming. It helps with remembering what needs to be done, but for things like building up the drive to keep on working for three hours straight, a talisman of some sort is good.
Samar – Just imbue that ring with magic powers associated with some goal, and you’ll be all set.
Marc – Pick something you already have. If you can remember to always put it in your pocket where you’ll feel it, pick some crazy random piece of junk. Then you’ll be thinking: “Why do I have a deck of cards in my pocket? Oh, damn. Push-ups.”
Brian – Ewwwww. Probably effective. But ewwwww.
Samar and Melinda – the trouble with piercings is that you start to think of them as permanent pretty quickly. With a piece of jewelry, you keep noticing it. Then you remember what it’s associated with.
Alex: Sigh. Men. Like a leather cuff or something would kill you. The whole point is that you don’t usually wear jewelry, so it’ll be something you pay attention to. You’ll be constantly reminded. I don’t usually wear rings either. Get, like, a string with a wooden bead or a cool coin on it. Then it will look suitably mannish and laissez-faire and you will constantly remember it.
I actually don’t recommend the tattoo unless you’re going to get one that you’ll see constantly, like on your forearm. Otherwise you won’t remember it.
Barbara – Ah, yes, but what do you do when you leave the house with all the post-its? Who will remind you when you are walking all by yourself in a big grassy field? We must think of all contingencies.
Jeremy – Go for it. I hope it works out for you.
Dave – See, that’s a great idea for all the guys out there who are squeamish about the jewelry. If you can get some cool talisman that you keep with your wallet and keys and suchlike, and put it somewhere you’ll notice it, that works well too. Thanks for the Stumble.
Writer Dad – You MEN. None of you listen. The whole POINT is that you don’t wear jewelry, because then you will be all, “Why am I wearing a necklace? Oh yeah . . . ” Or you can just do Dave’s thing. That’ll work too.
Sigh. I try to help and this is what I get. A lot of menfolk who don’t wear jewelry. I ask you.
Very cool idea and one I will implement as soon as I get home. Heck, I’m kind of a geek so maybe I’ll even buy a replica “one ring” just for kicks. Not sure which superpower I’ll need though…maybe patience.
Nathan Hangen´s last blog post…Developing an Online Empire – Part 3
I don’t have a magic ring (yet!) but I do similar things to get yucky tasks done. For example, if I catch myself doing absolutely nothing (worthwhile), I’ll force myself to get up and do something I HATE doing. Like dishes. Or walking the garbage down to the dumpster. Or vacuuming up the cat barf in the corner. Then I remember that my laptop should be used for GOOD, not evil.
Geek’s Dream Girl´s last blog post…Poll & Comment Fest: The D&D Friend That Nobody Likes
Thanks Tei. I’m going to follow Dave’s example and carry this black poker chip I have around with me
Interesting. In it’s purist form you’d need to be single and childless with independent wealth to make this work. I wonder how I can adapt it to the fact that I support my wife and our 3.5 children. This puts me in situations where I cannot drop what I am doing when I think of the ring.
I have a ring. It has an inscription inside it. I’d had it made for a reason at the time, but life changes, and so did the meaning of the inscription. Now I’m thankful for it, because each time I play with it (it’s a spinner ring and my hands always have to be doing something), I remember that everything happens for a reason and I take strength from that.
So the point is that sometimes, magic rings can help us get through the next day, not just the next task.
And for all you bros out there, suck it up. Put the goddamned ring on and quit being a pansy about it.
I like this idea a lot — I’m pretty used to jewelry, but I’m pondering ways to build a reminder into my computer that’s non-annoying. Or I’ll just go find the thumb ring I used to wear…
Mindfulness is a habit like everything else, and I’m always interested in the ways my energy and focus wax and wane from day to day and hour to hour. The reminder magic would be a good way to make yourself more aware of when you tend to get stuff done, and when you tend to drift, and if there’s a pattern, too.
Amy Crook´s last blog post…TV is Someone’s Dream, Too
That is a great idea for keeping a desired action recognized. I think I will try this with losing weight. Every time I look a the ring I won’t eat. But what if it makes me think about food when I wasn’t thinking about it before?
I know, I’ll look at the ring when i am reaching for food and realize that I don’t really want that handful of cookies after all.
I’ll let you know how it works out. I have been wanting something to remind me to stop eating unhealthy food and this may be it.
Andy with hairplugs guide´s last blog post…The Best Thinning Hair Treatment Is Hair Restoration
@ Andy – I have one. How about each time you think of the ring, you think of your kids or your wife or someone you love… and think about how you’ll feel if you become to heavy to enjoy life with them. Or, think of how pleased they’ll be when you can do something you couldn’t do before. Or, think about how you’ll be able to be around them longer in life because you’re healthier.
I’m really, really big on emotional attachment to objects. Otherwise, they’re just objects, you know? What counts is the meaning we place on them, and that’s what has power to motivate us to say, “Hey. No chips today, because I love my family.”
Nathan – One ring to rule them all. Or, you know. Just you.
GDG – I tried that, with a to-do list. Works great until you realize you could just do NOTHING. If I could force myself to do stuff like taking out the trash, then I wouldn’t be unable to force myself to do, you know. Work. I am a bad, bad girl.
Marc – Das ist gut. I approve heartily.
Peter – My suggestion for you would sort of depend on the task you’re thinking of undertaking. If it’s a work task, then only wear your ring (or whatever) during the period of time that’s devoted to working. If it’s a health thing like the push-ups, do it for times where it’s appropriate, like at the park with the kids. You’d have to modify so that it fit with your lifestyle, but I’m sure you could figure out when and how it would still be a motivator within certain life-issued constraints. And of course, you don’t need to get a shmancy ring like I did. Heck, you could do the old trick of tying a piece of string around your finger. Except you’d then be the guy with the string around his finger. You might want to join the other fellas and grab yourself a poker chip.
OR promise yourself that you will do the task WHENEVER FEASIBLE. So if you’re juggling an infant at the time, you don’t have to. If you’re watching TV, you do. Und so weiter.
Amy – Yeah, the non-annoying-but-still-grabbing-attention part gave me a hard time for awhile. Maybe a chime? Like a nice Tibetan bell noise every half-hour or so?
Andy – Let us know how that works out. I would think a ring would be great for stopping eating bad things. Pretend the ring will turn to fire if you consume something with trans fats in it.
Tei,
I love this idea of a talisman for incredibleness, but… (don’t you love it when people get goofy about the semantics and miss the point entirely? here goes…)
I wear a ring already. A big, gorgeous one that I bought so I wouldn’t have to beat men off with sticks in bars. (Works great, sigh.) So I can’t make that have extra meaning because it already means I Am Woman I Can Buy My Own Bling. At least, while nobody else is volunteering. ‘Cuz of the sticks, maybe.
& other jewelery? I’m like the dudes. Whine, whine, I hate remembering to put it on. So I’m going to have to think of a way to adopt this to help me remember the magic.
Maybe I could have magic shoes…
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly´s last blog post…Inspiration Points: Seth Godin on Stick-to-it-iveness
THANK YOU for that. Tomorrow I’ll get my ring or necklace or whatever that one is for sure. Procrastinating is my biggest vice (well, ok, it depends on the viewpoint, but I like all these nice other things some people call vices. Feel free to have wild guesses.) So, yes, procrastinating is my ONLY vice, perhaps. And I will tame it!
This is such a great post. I got a ring saying “Courage” earlier this year, but I wasn’t sure it was working for me. Clearly, I was missing the crucial step: *doing* something when you notice your talisman! Now, every time I look at the ring or mess with it, I plan to ask myself what I’ve done lately that’s courageous, and what I’m going to do next. Thanks so much for this post!
Catherine Cantieri, Sorted´s last blog post…Electric April: Managing your email
I have a button tacked on the wall above my computer. Unfortunately it is a very small button, so it’s nearly completely covered by the thumbtack holding it up there. I got it at a writer’s conference a few years ago, and its purpose was to remind me to keep my “butt on” the chair. (HAHAHA puns are great!) It hasn’t worked so well, mostly because I can barely see it, I think.
I don’t know that I could wear a ring (because I type so much, I hate wearing jewelry on my hands and wrists; even my “can’t live without it” watch gets taken off and put to the side of my computer when I’m working), but maybe one of my necklaces or a pair of earrings could serve the same purpose.
But if you’re using it to combat procrastination, do you use it for work stuff, or personal stuff (in my case, a novel)? Is it possible to use it for both? Or do you do it for one first, and then the other?
Kelly: Ankle bracelet. Never gets in the way while you’re typing, but it’s weird enough that every time you move your leg you’re all, “Hey, what’s on my – damn. Push-ups.”
Stella: Procrastination is everyone’s biggest vice. Thankfully it never made it into the 7 Deadly Sins. You can push sloth, but we are often quite industrious in our avoidance of work.
Catherine: Thatta girl. I think a lot of people make that mistake, actually. They have lots of inspirational quotes and sayings lying about, but they never actually do anything with them. No good having inspirational sayings if they never actually inspire you to accomplish something real.
Michelle: Necklace yes. Earrings no. You’ll totally forget you’re wearing them, and that’ll negate the purpose. The ankle bracelet was a genius idea of mine. That could also work. As for what you can use it for – pretty much anything. Casey used it for push-ups, remember? Use it for the novel. Use it for any kind of writing you like. Use it to lose weight or meditate more or drink more water. Just use it. And give it a real task. Don’t just think about writing every time you see it. Make yourself sit down and write for fifteen minutes every time you see it or think about it. Solid tasks are the key.
Oh, and re: Kelly and her ridiculous bling, as well as Peter and his financial constraints, when I say that my ring “cost me a decent chunk of change”, what I mean is: $70. It is a sterling silver ring and it basically looks like a river stone attached to a distressed silver band. It is not super-blingy. *I* am not super-blingy. I could never get away with actual bling. It would look very weird with my jeans-and-tank-top ensembles.
So don’t go thinking you have to break the bank with this one. $70 was actually way more than I intended to spend. I was planning on buying some nice $20 silver ring from a street vendor, but then damned if this woman in a pretty little shop didn’t have just the thing and I kept coming back to look at it and I figured if it could keep my attention that well before I even owned it, it would be a good ring for my purposes.
That is the ring story. Thank you for tuning in. The moral? You need not spend tons of cash on your ring/equivalent talisman. It just needs to be something that INTERESTS you, that catches your attention, so that you’ll think about it.
@Tei: An ANKLET! You’re a certifiable genius. I used to wear those all the time, and I miss them. Now I have an excuse!
Tei,
A mission! I hate shopping, but I love research missions.
ISO an ankle bracelet that looks funky but not clueless under a suit. You’re right, that would easily catch my attention fifteen times a day.
Until later,
Kelly
P.S. To all you post-it believers: I actually have some post-its that have printed on them, “Reminder: Don’t forget to be awesome.” I post those randomly in work spaces and personal spaces for a similar magical effect.
(Company that gave them to me: forgotten. Awesomeness: remembered.)
Kelly, I used to have an ankle bracelet that I got from a belly-dancing shop. It had tiny bells all around it and tinkled every time I moved my foot. I LOVED it!
Probably wouldn’t work under a suit though, but would be great at home!
I want some of those post-it notes!
Melinda´s last blog post…Is Your Business Real or are You Just Playing?
The magic ring is a great idea. It can be used for any character trait. Thanks for the great reminder.
You know, Havi Brooks recently posted something like this that I lovingly “borrowed” on my own blog. It’s called “One Thing” and to help boost productivity/self-discipline, you focus on one present-tense thing to do that will lead to the actual task you’d like to accomplish.
For me, it’s getting out of bed: “I’m getting out of bed RIGHT NOW,” is better than saying, “I’m going to get out of bed pretty soon,” because it’s present tense and implies an action. Subconciously I’m tricking my mind into action by doing it this way.
But jewelry could work also…
Nick Thacker´s last blog post…Judge Declares Cap’n Crunch’s “Crunchberries†Not Real Fruit
Personally, I have found putting the inscription “Ring of Protection +5″ or “Ring of Greater Elemental Resistance Ice” etc. on a ring will make my man wear it, I guess he figures if anyone gives him grief he can just ask them if they are wearing a “Ring of Trollish Fortitude”.
So if you are a guy who likes this idea but doesn’t want to be girly, just put something on the ring you can feel proud of.
So…Hi. Now, I don’t normally comment at all on this site, because well I prefer to simply take the advice and run, and but this time I feel obliged, for two reasons. A) This post cracked me up from the get go. And B) I’ve heard (and tested)tons and tons of tips on how to stop procrastinating, and this is the only bit of advice that sounds like it well work. So…Thanks. *insert smiley face here*
P.S. Sorry, about my crappy grammar.