Get Things Done!

Daniel Whyte III
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God has put each person on earth to do something great for His glory. The simple purpose of this podcast is to help you get things done every day so that you can accomplish something worthwhile with your life.

  1. 08/02/2016

    Use the Reinforcement Principle, Part 2

    Romans 12:10-12 says: "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;" Our quote for today is from Jim Rohn. He said: "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 2 of Step 8: "Use the Reinforcement Principle". Q: Some people would argue that it's demeaning to "bribe" yourself to do something that you know you should do anyway. Shouldn't the satisfaction of a job well-done be reward enough? It often is. For many people the knowledge that they will earn self-satisfaction is sufficient motivation to get them to perform a distasteful task at the appropriate time. Such people have learned to utilize the most important reinforcer of all and are to be commended—if everyone were like them there would be no such thing as procrastination, a book like this one would never be written, and it would be a much different world. But many people aren't like that; they doubt they can do the job satisfactorily, or they are immobilized by anticipation of discomfort, or by shyness, or by fear of success, or by one of the other inhibitors we've talked about, so they postpone action. Such people may find it's necessary to sweeten the pot by providing some additional rewards. This can hardly be referred to as bribery, because that word implies something improper. After all, what's wrong with being rewarded? Welders and teachers and physicians do their work partly because of the satisfaction they get from doing it—but they usually don't continue very long unless that intrinsic reward is supplemented by some additional reinforcement, such as a paycheck, recognition, or benefits. ...

    11 min

  2. 07/26/2016

    Use the Reinforcement Principle, Part 1

    Psalm 90:17 says: "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Our quote for today is from Samuel Butler. He said: "If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do." Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 1 of Step 8: "Use the Reinforcement Principle". Q: You have emphasized the power of self-discipline. But how do you make sure that when you discipline yourself to do something it isn't just a one-time thing? In other words, how do you build single actions into habit patterns, so that procrastination is less likely in the future? You do it by using the principle of reinforcement. Behavioral scientists have demonstrated that whenever a behavior occurs, the likelihood of it occurring again is strongly influenced by whatever happens immediately afterward. If the subsequent event is pleasant, the brain links the two occurrences together. Even if the person is unaware of the linkage, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. The process is seen throughout the animal kingdom: it is built-in mechanism that makes possible what psychologists call associative learning. So if you want a particular action to be repeated, follow it immediately with a suitable reinforcer, some kind of reward that will have a positive effect. The reinforcer may be provided by someone else—as, for example, in the case of a football coach who gives a player a pat on the back after he has made an exceptional effort—or you can provide it for yourself, as when you give yourself some kind of reward for performing an unpleasant task you were tempted to postpone. ...

    10 min

  3. 07/19/2016

    Establish an Action Environment, Part 3

    Ecclesiastes 2:24 says: "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God." Our quote for today is from Samuel Butler. He said: "If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do." Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 3 of Step 7: "Establish an Action Environment". Having the necessary tools and materials close at hand and ready for action minimizes procrastination. For most tasks, gathering the necessary tools and materials is the vital first step. Nothing happens until you have the resources close at hand. Having everything organized. In a workshop, that may mean having a neat and orderly workbench with all tools in their allotted spaces and a clear space for the new project. In an office, a tidy desk, free of any extraneous materials, is generally an invitation to concentrate. Everyone has personal preferences regarding the layout of their workspace. For some, untidiness is reassuring and soothing. For others, a cluttered work environment leads to disorganized thinking. ...

    10 min

  4. 07/11/2016

    Establish an Action Environment, Part 2

    As we begin, let me give you this reminder from the Word of God. Psalm 37:5 says: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."   Our quote for today is from Ralph Marston. He said: "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows."   Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 2 of Step 7: "Establish an Action Environment".   Q: You also mentioned that having things organized will help reduce the temptation to procrastinate. Exactly what did you mean by that?   I mean that it important to avoid clutter in the workplace.   A neat, orderly workbench, with each tool hanging in its allotted space, is an invitation to get busy, whereas a jumbled aggregation of wrenches, pipes, hammers, clamps, wire, files, pliers, sandpaper, and half-finished projects stifles enthusiasm and encourages delay and diversion.   The same is true in an office. A tidy desk encourages concentration; a disheveled one is a psychological roadblock.   ...

    11 min

  5. 07/05/2016

    Establish an Action Environment, Part 1

    As we begin, let me give you this reminder from the Word of God. Proverbs 22:29 says: "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."   Our quote for today is from Dale Carnegie. He said: "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. "   Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 1 of Step 7: "Establish an Action Environment".   Q: To what extent does the physical environment affect procrastination?   In many cases, it plays a key role; in others it's a minor factor. But it will always encourage or discourage action to some degree, so it must be considered.   Q: What environmental factors are most important in preventing procrastination?   Two of the most important considerations are (1) to have the necessary tools and materials at hand, and (2) to have them organized.   ...

    11 min

  6. 06/26/2016

    Get Tough With Yourself, Part 7

    As we begin, let me give you this reminder from the Word of God. Proverbs 18:9 says: "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster."   Our quote for today is from Philip Stanhope. He said: "Know the true value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off till tomorrow what you can do today."   Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 7 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself".   It's true that our grandparents sometimes carried self-denial and self-restraint too far, and it's easy to find examples we could identify as extreme. But reactions to excess are often excessive, and it's unfortunate that the so-called "culture of narcissism" has completely replaced, for many people, the robust self-mastery proclaimed by Rudyard Kipling:   If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";...   If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run – Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And – which is more – you'll be a Man, my son!   Today we consider Kipling's writing about an empire with dominion over palm and pine to be relics of a bygone age, which indeed they are. But his veneration of the Will – with a capital W, mind you – is right on.

    11 min

  7. 03/05/2016

    Get Tough With Yourself (Part 4)

    Acts 20:35 says: "I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." Our quote for today is from Jack Canfield. He said: "You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going. Babies don't walk the first time they try, but eventually they get it right." Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 4 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself". Q: Do psychologists recommend “flexing” the will regularly? Indeed they do. One who emphasized this concept many years ago was William James, who put it this way: “Keep alive in yourself the faculty of making efforts by means of little useless exercises every day, that is to say, be systematically heroic every day in little unnecessary things; do something every other day, for the sole and simple reason that it is difficult and you would prefer not to do it, so that when the cruel hour of danger strikes, you will not be unnerved or unprepared. A self-discipline of this kind is similar to the insurance that one pays on one’s house and on one’s possessions. To pay the premium is not pleasant and possibly may never serve us, but should it happen that our house were burnt, the payment will save us from ruin.” More recently, other psychologists, such as Roberto Assagioli and Boyd Barrett have urged this approach – the daily performance of seemingly useless acts for the sole purpose of strengthening the will. “Gymnastics of the will,” they have called it. Q: But it seems a shame to select something that is “useless” when there are so many useful tasks to be done! True. And I am inclined to disagree with James, Assagioli, and Barrett on this point. Instead of performing some useless act just for the sake of exercising the will, I think it makes more sense to select a useful task one has been putting off, so as to get some benefit from the exercise beyond the mere training of the will. ...

    12 min

  8. 12/08/2015

    Get Tough With Yourself (Part 3)

    Ephesians 5:15-16 says: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." Our quote for today is from Vishwas Chavan. He said: "If every citizen can get rid of the indiscipline syndrome, we have immense potential to build more productive, conflict-free, harmonious and peaceful communities, societies, cities, nations and world." Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 3 of Step 6: "Get Tough With Yourself". Q: You recommend doing difficult things not just for the intrinsic benefit involved, but because they provide practice in self-discipline? Correct. Each time you perform a difficult act -- or resist a temptation -- you make it easier to do so in the future. In the words of Hamlet, Refrain tonight, And that shall lend a kind of easiness To the next abstinence; the next more easy; For use can almost change the stamp of nature… Q: So you would compare willpower to a muscle, which grows either stronger or weaker, depending upon whether or not it’s used? Yes. The human mind, like the human body has an incredible ability to adjust to the demands made on it, and when the demands are steady, regular, and consistent, the result is growth, power, and greater ease of performance. In exercising your will you establish a mental “groove” -- a habit pattern -- that is deepened with each repetition, but which will gradually fade with lack of use. ...

    10 min
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About

God has put each person on earth to do something great for His glory. The simple purpose of this podcast is to help you get things done every day so that you can accomplish something worthwhile with your life.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniel Whyte III
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2016
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Get Things Done!