Invent challenges. A hundred years ago,
pioneer psychologist William James declared that humans use only a (67)
part of their potential. All too many of our tasks are (68)
or tedious. Then the brain operates almost on (69)
The result can be careless mistakes or dragged-out drudgery because
we can get with it.
The perfect state of flow, Csikszentmihalyi
explains, (70) when our skills exactly measure up to the
challenges confronting us. (71) , says Csikszentmihalyi, the
way to get a dull but simple job done easily is to make it harder. Turn a boring
task into a challenging game, so that you (72) all your
potential. Invent rules, (73) goals, (74)
yourself against a clock. This increased challenge may be what pushes
you into your (75) .
I was once asked to
write an introduction to a (76) of articles on lawsuit.
Words came slowly as I (77) away at a topic that didn’t
inspire me. I made (78) trips to the coffeepot. Then
the magazine’s art director phoned to say he’d created an eye-catching
(79) for the article, drawing a gavel (槌) bent into the
letter J. Could the first word of the article begin with J
I
not only accept the challenge, but added one of my own: Could every paragraph
begin with J Using such words as Justice and Jurisprudence (法学), I managed nine
paragraphs. By (80) my attention, the contest sped up the
task.
Talk to yourself. As you (81)
that drip irrigation system in your rose bed, tell yourself, "The line to the
hose bib goes here. About six feet, then the first emitter (喷嘴)..." Verbalizing
keeps your mind on the task, (82) the steps you’re taking,
and reminds you of what needs to be done.
Self talk can also
serve as "white noise," taking your mind off (83) stimuli. A
young ski racer, (84) by spectators and blowing snow, was
having a disappointing competition when his coach pulled him (85)
. "Look ahead," the coach said, reminding the skier to (86)
on the gates ahead as he skied the ones before. Repeating the phrase
like a spell (咒语): "Look ahead, look ahead, look ahead"—the skier focused his
attention and won a medal. |
