Chapter 9 3.b The best tool - pen and paper

I call my "event-time log" a "time ledger", which records the time spent on every important thing I do every day.As for its benefits, there is not much need to talk about it now.However, the formation of such a seemingly simple recording habit is far from being as simple as it seems. In fact, forming any habit that isn't natural is a struggle.There is only one habit we are born with - "laziness".For everyone, laziness used to be a matter of course-everyone has to go through a longer or shorter period of "clothes, hands, food, and mouth" before they can grow up.During that time, everyone can do whatever they want.However, no one can always "do whatever they want".The once-possible "do whatever you want" is nothing but a reality in childhood, a fantasy in youth, anguish in adulthood, and despair in old age.

Western religions define seven deadly sins, all of which are the so-called "original sins" - gluttony, greed, laziness, lust, arrogance, envy and rage.It has repeatedly appeared in the titles of the "Bible", famous paintings and sermons by church figures in the Middle Ages, especially famous.At the end of the last century, these "original sins" also became one of the most successful and iconic psychological thrillers in the history of cinema, "Se7en", directed by David Fincher, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt Starring Fagan Freeman. On the contrary, the ancients in our country were more open-minded, thinking that "food and sex are also sexual".Other "greed", "arrogance", "jealousy", and "rage", if you get to the root of it, ultimately come from the inherent shortcomings of a human nature, even if it is called "original sin", the inherent shortcomings--" Lazy".I guess, no one is not lazy.Some time ago, I read a passage from Scott Parker and was extremely shocked.He also believes that "laziness" is the ultimate "original sin".As for "evil," he defines it as: "Evil is nothing but the most blatant and brazen idleness." This reminds me of Thomas Sowell's comment that "those who are called heinous are not 'Bad' is 'stupid', just unsound mind."

Mind opening begins with the realization that self-discipline is possible, and the process of mental development is the process of overcoming laziness.It is often heard that "the worst enemy is yourself", and if this statement makes sense, that "worst enemy" should actually refer to "your uncontrollable laziness".Sun Wukong can change seventy-two, and his laziness is stronger than Sun Wukong, and he can be transformed into countless incarnations.It has all kinds of masks that tempt you to ditch your friends, time. Nearly two decades ago, when I first started keeping a Li Ao-style "event log," I encountered the exact same situation that many people have encountered.I have been recording continuously for a little over a month, and I only use about one-tenth of a thick notebook.Almost a year and a half later, when I was sorting out my bookshelf, I suddenly found the black hardcover notebook, and I was shocked--"Why did I forget it?" Then I looked at the date of the last record, and I was covered in goose bumps -- "Huh? It's been more than a year!" I just felt that although I didn't write a word except for the tenth, it was full of shame, and I wanted to throw it away.

I had a successful quit a few years ago - not the half-hour kind, and went about six months without a cigarette.In addition, my method of quitting smoking is relatively aggressive. All the cigarettes in the house are kept as before, and if I say I don’t smoke, I don’t smoke.Suddenly one day, I remembered that I was sitting in front of the computer and writing something, and the windows automatic upgrade reminded me to restart, so I pressed the "OK" button, and the computer restarted.However, when the computer restarted, the "beep" from the small speaker on the main board startled me - because a cigarette in my hand had already been lit to the butt of the cigarette, which burned my hand... "My God, how could it be!"

Half a year ago, I chatted with a colleague and told him that "we can use our brains to control our brains." A week ago, we ate together and chatted.As he was talking, he suddenly smiled awkwardly, and said, "I was really shocked after hearing what you said that day....But, I just thought of it suddenly, why did I just forget it? It's still the same... …Ugh!" I have repeatedly said, "Man is more or less an empirical animal."Maybe everyone's misfortune is the same. The most experience in his life is "giving up halfway"--all kinds of "giving up halfway" in all aspects.We have so much experience of giving up halfway in our lives, so that it is much more difficult to give up "halfway" than "persist in the end and succeed in the end"-most people don't even have the experience of "persisting in the end and succeeding once".When we are determined to change, "laziness" instructs our "brain's self-protection function" -- "forgetting" -- to make us stop changing unconsciously.

The tool to fight laziness, stop forgetting, and insist on change is pen and paper.That day, I looked at the black hardcover notebook, staring at the last recorded date more than a year ago, and couldn’t help being dazed: I just knew that “the tools to fight laziness, stop forgetting, and insist on changing are paper and pen”, so I started to record .But, how come I even forgot the record itself now!This somewhat depresses and annoys me. Finally I found a solution.I went to the stationery store and bought a lot of 3M Post-it notes, and even downloaded a free software called "3M Post-it Notes Lite" from the Internet.Post the important things you need to remind yourself not to forget, especially those habits that you have decided to develop recently, everywhere, including on the desktop of your computer.But I found that it was not enough. The 3M sticky notes are glued on the torn paper, which makes it uncomfortable to put in the pocket.So, I ran to the business card store and bought two boxes of blank business cards.So, I can write some important things on these blank cards and carry them with me.During that time, there were several cards in my pocket with the same sentence written on them -- "Don't forget to record your time expenses every night!"

The effect is very good.In response to that sentence, "The problem is always complicated, and the solution is always simple." I remember one of my elementary school teachers often said, "A good memory is not as good as a bad pen."More than ten years later, I finally understood the deep meaning of this sentence, but unfortunately, I have forgotten the teacher's name.In any case, I should thank him somewhat. Forming any new habit is not easy.How long does it take to really become a habit, as natural as you are born with?My experience tells me it usually takes five years.Yes, five years.I have read many books that say that a habit can be formed in two weeks; I think maybe I am stupid.

Recording your daily time expenditure can cultivate your sense of accomplishment on the one hand, and avoid forgiving yourself easily on the other hand.Every night before going to bed, I look at my notebook and find that if I have done a lot of things today, I will be very happy.As the days go by, your heart will become more and more at ease. Even if you don't read it, just look at the part of the book that has become slightly darker and thicker, and you will feel a sense of accomplishment.But it's impossible to have this sense of reality if you don't write it down, just relying on that unreliable memory.

Conversely, if you open that notebook and find that the date recorded on the last page is several days ago or even last month, then you will feel flustered and guilty, and this feeling is that you are going to do some "serious things" "The real motivation.But, but, if you don't write it down, and rely only on that unreliable memory, you will easily forgive yourself and go on indulging, passing time for nothing and gaining nothing for you.The worst and most likely result of not recording is that you don't realize that you have any reason to blame yourself-because you don't know what you have lost.

It's easy to give up the habit of keeping track of your daily money expenses, because you can always find very plausible excuses: "The money is gone and it will come back", of course, you can add "naturally born" in front of this sentence. My material will be useful" or something.However, once you get into the habit of keeping track of your daily time expenses, you will find it hard to give up.Because, although "a thousand pieces of gold go away" may indeed "come back", but you do know and have to admit that "time flies like running water and it goes away" is absolutely "never coming back"!

Such a habit can bring unimaginable benefits. In my blog on June 30, 2007, I recorded such a paragraph, which can explain what this habit has brought me: Recently, I wasted a lot of time because I was depressed because of some things - because I didn't have the mind to do anything. The embarrassment of human beings mentioned before is: while the entire human race has developed to an unprecedented height, everyone's mental growth has to start from scratch-so, many people have not evolved into real people in the end.And the more embarrassing thing is that even if you understand the truth, sometimes you will be controlled by your own brain without paying attention. Many times, we are surprised to rediscover some important truths - because we have forgotten these truths temporarily or a long time ago - for various reasons.One of the reasons can be explained clearly by using an analogy: it seems that a memory-consuming and inexplicable thread suddenly appeared in your computer, which increased the CPU usage to 100%, so your computer began to pretend to be "dead". Or really "dead"... Unfortunately, our brains don't have a "Reset" button, and our lives don't have Ghost recovery software. A long time ago, I made myself a "Reset" button.I have a notebook where each page usually has only one sentence, such as: * Happiness is a skill. * Don't punish yourself for someone else's mistakes. * Normal people have selfishness, and noble people can only control it and not convert it into action. * Getting angry is a waste of time. * Encourage others at all times. *... There are some pages that have some dates and some notes under that sentence -- that is, when and why and why I used that sentence to "Reset" my brain and the result. (By the way, paper and pen are more reliable than hard drives when there are many of them.) Last night, I turned to this sentence: "Happiness is a skill."I suddenly found that I had forgotten happiness for a long time.My brain froze. Get in the habit of keeping track of your daily time expenses starting today.This is the first step, and many other good time-use habits will naturally develop from it.If you are used to recording the following time expenditures for the day before going to bed every night, then you will naturally start planning the time of the whole day in your mind the next morning-if you don’t believe me, try it! The way of recording can also be ignored at all.You can use neat list form, or you can use your bow and arrows on the page; you can sit at your desk and slowly transcribe with your high-end fountain pen, or you can just find a broken pencil and use your special "new" pencil. "Running Script" or "New Cursive Script" -- as long as you do record it every day.