Starve the Beast – How to get shit done in your life

Say what you will about the Republican party, but they sure know how to get what they want. Case in point: government spending. Everyone has something they would like to get from the government. Government workers want more pay. Soldiers want better veterans’ benefits. Retirees want enhanced social security and medicare. Youths want subsidized college tuition. And parents want subsidized single-family homes.

It’s pretty safe to say that many conservative intellectuals want the opposite of the above, in the name of “Small Government.” But how do you convince people to cut any of the above programs? After all, nobody wants to be the miserly grinch that takes things away from others.

Enter the genius strategy known as “Starving the Beast”. The idea is simple – if you want to cut the above programs, you don’t have to literally convince people to cut the above programs. Instead, you just need to convince people to cut taxes, a far more popular proposal. This would deprive the government of the revenue it needs to fund those programs. And in the ensuing financial disaster, people will decide on their own that they have no choice but to cut the above programs.

Does this sound like a conspiracy theory? It certainly isn’t. Here’s a quote from Reagan himself:

John Anderson tells us that first we’ve got to reduce spending before we can reduce taxes. Well, if you’ve got a kid that’s extravagant, you can lecture him all you want to about his extravagance. Or you can cut his allowance and achieve the same end much quicker.

But this essay isn’t about political strategy and fiscal policy. This essay is about how you can apply the above insight in your own personal life, to achieve your own personal goals.

Is there something you wish you did more of?
Perhaps exercising, eating fruits, or reading books?
Have you already tried forcing yourself to do it, only to fail miserably?

Try another tack: Starving the Beast. Instead of forcing yourself to do something, instead take away all your other alternatives.

Instead of forcing yourself to eat fruits, instead throw away all your other snacks. Tell yourself that you don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to. In the ensuing hunger, your body will demand that you start eating fruits.

Instead of forcing yourself to read books, simply leave your smartphone at home, grab a book, and drive yourself to a park. Tell yourself that you can simply stare at the sky for as long as you want. In the ensuing boredom, your mind will demand that you start reading.

Instead of forcing yourself to exercise, just put on some workout clothes and go to the gym. Tell yourself that your one and only goal is hang around at the gym. In the ensuing awkwardness, you will automatically start working out, just to blend in with the others around you.

I speak from personal experience as someone who chronically struggles with discipline and motivation. There are so many things that I want to do, and know I should be doing. But I struggle immensely with summoning the will to actually do them.

Until one day recently, I tried a different track. When I had some free time, I starved myself of all the usual things I did to pass the time. “If you want to just stare at the wall and do nothing, go right ahead. But no television. No video games. No social media.” I had inadvertently discovered what the Dutch call Niksen.

5 minutes went by, and my mental fatigue melted away. 5 more minutes went by, and I was bored out of my mind. Another 5 minutes went by, and I figured anything would be better than this unbearable void.

Before I knew it, I was doing all the stuff that I had spent so long trying to force myself to do. And everytime I thought of another chore that had to be done, a small part of me actually smiled. “Oh goodie, another thing I can do to escape this suffocating boredom.”

Aristotle once said that “Nature abhors a vacuum”. As it turns out, human nature is no different. It doesn’t matter how hard, unpleasant, or inane a task might be. If you can simply deprive yourself of all other alternatives, you will inevitably find yourself doing that task. Without ever having to force yourself to do it. How else do you think this essay got written?

P.S. If getting shit done isn’t sufficient motivation, it turns out that sitting around and doing nothing is also an incredible way to release stress and combat fatigue. Far better than watching television or browsing social media. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself.

Share:

One thought on “Starve the Beast – How to get shit done in your life”