These productivity hacks always really confuse me. Maybe it's just me.
Here's my logic: If you want to be productive (i.e. you have prioritized the current task/goal above all else), you just do it with full attention. If it's not very important or you can't align the task with a significant outcome, then you will be prone to distractions.
These tips boil down to negatively reinforcing distractions (not being productive) and positively reinforcing accomplishments (being productive). If you have the ability to apply all these reinforcement techniques in the first place, then you have the self-discipline to just do what you should.
Maybe I just personally prefer advice and tools that helps with prioritizing tasks since that tackles some of the underlying issues.
It's not just you. This kind of 'advice' has never helped me, I may even say that it harmed me in a way.
There is only a single thing you need to be productive: You need to want it enough. Literally nothing else. There is no magical trick that makes you work more. You either do it or you don't. Many will say now "that isn't helpful at all! 'Just do it' isn't helpful advice!"
On the contrary, it is the only helpful advice that anyone could give you. I don't expect people to believe this, I certainly didn't. It takes guts to admit that maybe, just maybe...it's you who is at fault, not the distractions.
I half agree with this. I've employed some of the above productivity tricks when I want to get things done really badly. I was productive.
I've also ignored all of these tricks had equal productivity.
When I don't want to do something, eliminating all familiar procrastination tools will just make me create or find new procrastination tools. I think the best advice is that small sentence in your post "you either do it or you don't". Embracing that mentality, I either do something or I put it behind me and do something else.
Here's my logic: If you want to be productive (i.e. you have prioritized the current task/goal above all else), you just do it with full attention. If it's not very important or you can't align the task with a significant outcome, then you will be prone to distractions.
These tips boil down to negatively reinforcing distractions (not being productive) and positively reinforcing accomplishments (being productive). If you have the ability to apply all these reinforcement techniques in the first place, then you have the self-discipline to just do what you should.
Maybe I just personally prefer advice and tools that helps with prioritizing tasks since that tackles some of the underlying issues.