The reason you don’t need your brain for these scenarios is that “yes” is always the best choice. On that note, there are probably some situations in which an auto-response of “no” would be helpful. We make so many decisions that it’s nice to have a few of them made ahead of time. Here are some parties to which your brain should not be invited.
Turn your brain off when…
Getting Up In The Morning
When your alarm sounds, get up. That’s it. No thinking. No gauging if you need more sleep or not. Just get out of bed and start your day. If you have to, take a nap later. I’ve realized that my ideal relationship to my alarm clock is a master/slave relationship in which I am the slave. I’m not actually a slave to the alarm clock, but to myself, because the alarm clock represents a smarter version of me deciding (the night before) when it would be best to wake up. When the alarm beckons, I must answer!
One thing I have experienced is that if you let yourself think too much about getting up, you’ll lose every time. The moment you wake up in the morning, your brain’s chemical levels are likely abnormal, as if you’ve been drugged. It’s not a good time to be making a critical decision like how much time you’ll have today. Make waking up a mindless activity and you won’t regret it. Go ahead, walk to the shower like a zombie. It’s for the best.
Considering Exercise
Recently, I had an inkling of an idea to do a few pull-ups. I wasted no time setting up my pull-up bar. When it comes to exercise, “why not?” is a great mindset. Of course, if I sat down and pondered for 20 minutes the pros and cons of exercising soon, I would have convinced myself not to. Whenever you think about working out, drop to the floor and do a few push-ups just because you can and it’s good for you.
There’s no need for pressure either, when you can just do one push-up!
If you’re like me, the lazy part of you is best friends with your brain, and if you let them talk, you’ll be taking a nap or watching TV all the time. But if you don’t let yourself think about it and start exercising instead, you’ll get in the active mood. Consistent exercise long term increases your daily energy levels and chisels you into better shape, both of which make exercise easier and more enjoyable.
It’s a positive cycle to get into, and no thinking is necessary. Hmm…maybe that’s why strong people are stereotyped as dumb oafs?
You Have An Idea To Read Or Write Something
Want to read a book? Go! Want to write a novel? Start!
Reading and writing are common abilities in today’s information society. But being well-read and being able to write well are far less common, and they both come with excellent benefits. Naturally, you are well-read when you read a lot, and you write well by practicing writing. It’s no coincidence that a high percentage of the brightest and most successful people were/are voracious readers.
[box style=”info”]Benjamin Franklin is one of my role models; he loved to read and started the first public library in the USA.[/box]Writing is and will remain a key form of communication, and those who write well generally have a better time with business and personal communication. If you want to write better, reading will help with that too.
If you have the idea to read a good book or practice writing, take the opportunity without second thought. There will be no regret unless you read the Twilight book series, which gradually shuts your brain down as you read it. I’ve never read the Twilight series, so that isn’t fair for me to say, but glittering vampires aren’t exactly the most intellectual subject matter either.
Pondering Cleaning Up
“Hmm…maybe I should clean this mess.”
Do it!
A clean living area enhances mental clarity and reduces stress. Cleaning, unless done unnecessarily, is always a worthwhile investment of time. If you get the idea to clean, it probably means you have the time to do it too. There’s no need to have an internal debate on straightening things up. Clean up and enjoy the results today and tomorrow.
Do each of these four without thinking, and you’ll be a smarter, fitter, cleaning machine with plenty of time in your day.
It’s a no brainer. +2 pun points -2 lame pun penalty = nevermind