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Recently, I sold a domain name I owned.
After 6 weeks of negotiating, the person interested in buying the name said something like, “Let’s wrap this up already!” Even though I got the price I wanted, I was the one delaying the closure of the deal because I was enjoying the negotiations!
It wasn’t about the money.
There was something thrilling about writing an offer via email and waiting for the response. The back and forth was so enjoyable! It was, of course, the anticipation.
The same thing happened with my new website for MyBodyTutor.com. A very tiny part of me didn’t want it to be completed so I could say ‘my new website is coming soon…’ This way, I could just think about the potential of it because thinking about the potential is very exciting.
Anticipation can absolutely make your life better. And sometimes, I enjoy the anticipation of an event more so than the actual event I’m anticipating!
Whether it’s planning trips or figuring out your fun plans for the week or weekend, setting things up for yourself to look forward to will absolutely make you happier.
I try to create anticipation as often as possible. Even in odd ways.
For example, if I get an email from one of my friends that I know is going to be funny and filled with plenty of banter (I can never get enough banter) or any sort of message, sometimes I’ll actually wait a while before I check it. If I get a package in the mail I might not open it for a couple of days. Or if there’s a book or a blog post I’m excited to read, I won’t read it for a few weeks or hours.
Even just waiting 30 minutes to check a text message or an email from someone you’re looking forward to hearing from can work wonders for your happiness and can also boost productivity!
Anticipation and curiosity is a form of tension and when there’s tension you’re going to want to relieve it.
It’ll make you extremely focused if you set boundaries like I have to finish xyz before I check it.
Here are some other examples of odd things I do to create anticipation to get things done:
One. After I cook dinner, and my food looks all beautiful on my plate, I’ll clean all the dishes right then and there (besides, the plate of course). The anticipation of eating my deliciously healthy and warm home cooked meals forces me to get the dishes done. If I want dinner…I have to clean the dishes!
Two. Sometimes, I relent and leave the dishes for after dinner. I drink a lot of water and am constantly peeing. After dinner I usually have to pee badly but before I let myself pee I’ll clean all of the dishes. If I want to pee…I have to clean the dishes.
Three. While I’m using mouthwash, I’ll quickly clean my room. The tension and anticipation of getting the minty burning sensation out of my mouth, forces to me focus on the task at hand! If I don’t want to be in minty pain…I have to clean my room quickly!
How can you use anticipation to make yourself happier and/or more productive?
Try it. It works wonders!
I definitely do this!
A few specific examples:
-When I take my laundry out of the dryer, I put it all on top of my bed so that I can't go to sleep until it's all folded.
-I save intriguing articles to read on the subway in the morning and good magazines to help pass the time on the elliptical machine.
-I keep a list of restaurants, recipes, and "cheat" foods that I give myself permission to try on Fridays after work, to celebrate the end of a long week and the beginning of a great weekend.
Awesome post, Adam!
Thanks, Lauren!
Exactly. These kinds of things really do work and give us something to look forward to even if it's something very small. I also save great articles for the Subway and put laundry on my bed. It's the small things!
The trick, of course, is to make sure that anticipation isn't holding you back. It sounds like your enjoyment of the process is keeping you from finishing the product.
Not sure what you mean. Can you give me an example?
I think you gave a good one in your post. You said you had dragged out negotiations to 6 weeks because you were enjoying the game.
If you're doing that everywhere, you're not really boosting productivity. If that message or package contained something time sensitive, you could be missing important time to complete the actions related to it.
I think I understand what you're trying to say. It seems to me that what you're talking about is delaying something you want to do and keeping it as a reward for doing things you might be less motivated to do. That delayed gratification can be a good tool, but like all tools, it should be used at the proper time.
And the other challenge is this: for some people, knowing that the message is there is a distraction and will reduce productivity. For me, I know that this can be the case a lot of the time. So while trying to be productive, I'll instead turn off all notifications for possible distractions. I don't want to know if an email has arrived or I have a great new voicemail to listen to.
The key comes down to knowing what works for you and creating that environment.
@Adam Miller, that's exactly what I meant!
@KateNonymous
Glad I could be of service :)
@ Adam
Very well said!
I knew that the purchaser really wanted the domain name and I wasn't putting the deal in jeopardy by extending the negotiations. But yes, absolutely, that would be defeating the entire purpose if the anticipation was holding me back from making a deal.
"It seems to me that what you're talking about is delaying something you want to do and keeping it as a reward for doing things you might be less motivated to do."
That's exactly what I'm trying to say. Holding a little carrot in front of you...
@KateNonymous You are 100% right. I didn't read it that way, at first, because I knew that I wasn't putting the deal in jeopardy but to an outsider it obviously would seem that way. So thanks for bringing that up!
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