How to do the work that no one makes you do

When I was growing up, I wish I had learned how to do the work that no one made me do.

I did the work that my parents wanted me to do. I did the work that my teachers wanted me to do. Later, I did the work that my bosses and customers and wife and kids wanted me to do.

I did the work because I had to.

I did the work because if I didn’t, someone else would upset or angry.

Bad things would happen.

But there was always work that I wanted to do—myself—and I often didn’t do it. I didn’t know how to do work without someone demanding it.

Eventually, I figured it out. I’m using that technique to write this blog post.

How to do it

The first step is desire: you have to really want it. I couldn’t have written this post without desire.

But desire alone is not enough. Desire alone is just a form of wishing. And wishing does not make things happen—except in fairy tales.

In real life, you need intention.

Intention is a clear desire, along with a determination to produce what you desire.

Here is my simple 5 step formula:

1. Form the intention to produce what you want.
2. Gather what you need to produce what you want.
3. Go to a place where you can produce what you want.
4. Stay in that place, with that intention, until it’s done. (Persistence, until it’s done, is crucial.)
5. If you’re interrupted, handle the interruption, and go back to step 3.

You must have an intention and then maintain that intention without distraction. If you don’t let other intentions take over, your mind and your body will do things.

If you do that and persist, you’ll end up producing what you intend.

I’ve learned that things can go wrong, and I intend to write more about them, but the basic idea is simple. Intention and persistence to get the job done.

I wrote this because I wanted to. And then I intended to. I got what I needed to produce it (my computer) and went to a place where I could produce it (a quiet spot). And then I stayed there, with that intention, until it was done.

And now it’s done.

And now I have a new intention, and that is, to share it with you.

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