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Comment by geekfactor | Hacker News Reader

Not once in my life did I have to "trick" myself into playing a video game a few extra minutes or watch a big basketball game.

I can't speak to what's going on inside your head, but I think people trick themselves into playing those few extra minutes all the time. I know I do:

- "I've got plenty of time. A few extra minutes won't hurt."

- "I didn't really need to get that done today anyway."

- "If I stay focused I can catch up."

- "If I blow off some steam now I'll be able to focus better later."

- "I can do this and watch the big game at the same time."

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Those are all rationalizations to allow us to do or continue to do what we really want.

This thread has devolved into semantics.

The OP had an original and insightful point about motivation and the process of getting things done. OTOH, you're contradicting him without, I feel, adding anything to the discussion.

I think you've dismissed his point without showing that you actually considered it. Your conclusion that you're lazy and need prodding is exactly the thing Edo is talking about. He laid out a passionate account of procrastination and self-talk, and compelled his readers to consider that it's not productive to berate one's self for failing to accomplish goals in a timely manner. That perhaps there are better ways to relate to yourself and your goals.

And your response is essentially, "Nope, I'm lazy -- period, full-stop."

I think this is exactly what he means. People make excuses to continue playing a video game.

I believe the type of "trick" he's referring to is exemplified by this statement: "just think of working out as a game and try to beat your old score." While I generally like the benefits of working out, it's not something I'm in the mood to do every day when I come home from work. I have to push myself through that invisible barrier sometimes, i.e. I have to 'trick' myself into doing it, even if just for a few minutes.

After a long day at work, the first thing I want to do is play a video game when I get home. I only time I've had to trick myself into playing video games was when training in a fighter game, trying to grind out my reaction times so I could beat my friends.

Actually, i do that with reading blogs,books,hacker news(anything involving reading)..always a few more extra minutes.

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