The Goldilocks rule: How to stay motivated in life

Why do we stay motivated to reach some goals, but not others? Why do we say we want something, but give up on it after a few days? What is the difference between the areas where we naturally stay motivated and those where we give up?

Scientists have been studying motivation for decades. While there is still much to learn, one of the most consistent findings is that perhaps the best way to stay motivated is to work on tasks of “just manageable difficulty.”

The Goldilocks Rule :

For example, imagine you are playing tennis. If you try to play a serious match against a four-year-old, you will quickly become bored. The match is too easy. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you try to play a serious match against a professional tennis player like Roger Federer or Serena Williams, you will find yourself demotivated for a different reason. The match is too difficult.

Compare these experiences to playing tennis against someone who is your equal. As the game progresses, you win a few points and you lose a few points. You have a chance of winning the match, but only if you really try. Your focus narrows, distractions fade away, and you find yourself fully invested in the task at hand. The challenge you are facing is “just manageable.” Victory is not guaranteed, but it is possible. Tasks like these, are the most likely to keep us motivated in the long term.

Tasks that are significantly below your current abilities are boring. Tasks that are significantly beyond your current abilities are discouraging. But tasks that are right on the border of success and failure are incredibly motivating to our human brains.

This phenomenon is knowns as The Goldilocks Rule. The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy.  Just right.

Two Steps to Motivation:

   1- Stick to The Goldilocks Rule and work on tasks of just manageable difficulty.

    2-Measure your progress and receive immediate feedback whenever possible.

 Wanting to improve your life is easy. Sticking with it is a different story. If you want to stay motivated for good, then start with a challenge that is just manageable, measure your progress, and repeat the process.

By Rahat Mulla X-D

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WHY NOT LOVE YOURSELF?

This is for all those who blame circumstances, God and Luck for them being unsuccessful or fail also thinks that they are the unluckiest person in the world and doesn’t even have an atom of Talent or skill. Hey! People listen why being so negative, why? Do you think you don’t have Talent of anything, Why do you think you can’t achieve best things, Why believing that you can achieve only average goals. No, God didn’t your personality like this; it’s you who made yourself like who you are now. You are like this because you always taught your mind that Hard Work is not your ability and you can never achieve anything good. No one can make you better until you yourself ready to stretch out your helping hands to the little soul inside you and bring him out “FROM THE FEAR OF FAILURE TO THE JOY OF SUCCESS” or just in a simple word “LOVE YOURSELF”. Loving yourself means accepting who you are and with courage and confidence still trying to achieve small-small steps of success, hoping it will be a very big step one day. Accepting yourself and thinking nobody is like you and keep moving on will build confident inside you of doing many odd victory, which others are yet to achieve. If you start believing and loving yourself then I assure no obstacles in the world can stop you from winning success.

BY –UNSA AFTAB      10^th- B

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INEFFABLE LIFE

Life is hard and rough

Well, doesn't all say that too much

They say we make life harder

That's just their way to sympathize for each other

We need things, we want things

We lose things, we find things

Everyone wants to live fuller

But do we work to make it better

Problems may come and go

Happiness we find in people may come and go

And just like that life flows

We wake up every day wishing for something good

 To have a better mood

We expect more from our lives than we should

But we all know one way or the other

That lying to ourselves just causes clutter

We all reminisce our past

Because we all know that life may not last.

Life is short, so enjoy it

Life is short, so support it

Think of something that makes you happy and live for it

As some quote says "Life is too short to be living with stress

And we are way too young to be depressed"

                                                                                           By Vajiha Nazir                                                                                                           X-D

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The Myth of Multitasking

Yes, we are capable of doing two things at the same time. It is possible, for example, to watch TV while cooking dinner or to answer an email while talking on the phone.

What is impossible, however, is concentrating on two tasks at once. Multitasking forces your brain to switch back and forth very quickly from one task to another.

This wouldn't be a big deal if the human brain could transition seamlessly from one job to the next, but it can't. Multitasking forces you to pay a mental price each time you interrupt one task and jump to another. In psychology terms, this mental price is called the switching cost.

Switching cost is the disruption in performance that we experience when we switch our attention from one task to another.

The myth of multitasking is that it will make you more effective. In reality, remarkable focus is what makes the difference.

While we’re on the subject, the word multitasking first appeared in 1965 IBM report talking about the capabilities of its latest computer.

That’s right. It wasn’t until the 1960s that anyone could even claim to be good at multitasking. Today, people wear the word like a badge of honor as if it is better to be busy with all the things than to be great at one thing.

Doing more things does not drive faster or better results. Doing better things drives better results. Even more accurately, doing one thing as best you can drives better results.

                                                                                                                      Vajiha Nazir

                                                                                     X-D 

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Why We Want Things We Don’t Need!

The famous French philosopher Denis Diderot lived nearly his entire life in poverty, but that all changed in 1765.

Diderot was 52 years old. Despite his lack of wealth, Diderot’s name was well-known because he was the co-founder and writer of Encyclopedia, one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias of the time.
When Empress of Russia, heard of Diderot’s financial troubles she offered to buy his library from him $50,000 USD in 2015 dollars. Suddenly, Diderot had money to spare. Shortly after this lucky sale, Diderot acquired a new scarlet robe. That's when everything went wrong.

The Diderot Effect

Diderot’s scarlet robe was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that he immediately noticed how out of place it seemed when surrounded by the rest of his common possessions. In his words, there was “no more coordination, no more unity, no more beauty” between his robe and the rest of his items. The philosopher soon felt the urge to buy some new things to match the beauty of his robe.

He replaced his old rug with a new one from Damascus. He decorated his home with beautiful sculptures and a better kitchen table. He bought a new mirror to place above the mantle and his “straw chair was relegated to the antechamber by a leather chair.” These reactive purchases have become known as the Diderot Effect.

The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things. As a result, we end up buying things that our previous selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled.

We all have fallen victim to the Diderot Effect. If we buy a new car, we end up purchasing all sorts of additional things to go inside it. Like a car charger for my cell phone, a first aid kit, a flashlight, emergency blankets, and even a seatbelt cutting tool.

You might have a previous car but after getting a shiny new car, we find ourselves falling into the same consumption spiral as Diderot.

You can spot similar behaviors in many other areas of life:

·         You buy a new dress and now you have to get shoes and earrings to match.

·         You buy your kid an American Girl doll and find yourself purchasing more accessories than you ever knew existed for dolls.

·         You buy a new couch and suddenly you're questioning the layout of your entire living room. Those chairs? That coffee table? That rug? They all gotta go.

Life has a natural tendency to become filled with more. We are rarely looking to downgrade, to simplify, to eliminate, to reduce. Our natural inclination is always to accumulate, to add, to upgrade, and to build upon. We don’t naturally look to simplify and minimize. Our natural inclination is to pile up, be better than others, and buy shiny things that we “assume” makes us happier.

In the words of Sociology professor, Juliet Schor, “the pressure to upgrade our stock of stuff is relentlessly unidirectional, always ascending.”

                                                                      By Vajiha Nazir

                                                              X-D

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How Can Certain People Influence Your Life In A Good Way?

•     Mom’s lessons hold true for children, teens, college students and adults. It is well documented that our fundamental beliefs and attitudes are greatly influenced by the people we allow into our lives. When we associate with others who have a greater skill set or have achieved more, we are challenged. It brings out the best in us and inspires us to do better. Observing and modelling someone’s positive example will help us reach new heights. Surrounding ourselves with optimistic and uplifting people has a direct cause and effect on our demeanour, confidence level and performance. It’s all positive! If we hang out with pessimistic people who are critical of us, their negative comments will likely impact how we view our abilities and our self-image. There are always people who are there to support us hence we must always keep a good image and do our best to live a happy and fulfilling life.

Ayesha Moosa

10 A

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Delhi turns into Hitler’s gas chamber!

'This way for the gas, ladies and gentlemen' (said by the Nazis in concentration camp experience) - this is perhaps what Delhi's signboards should say as the city's air pollution is being compared to Hitler's gas chambers. What was used as a means of torture for Jews by the Nazi government has turned into the reality of every Delhiite!

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city shot up to 451 on a scale where the maximum level is 500. AQI above 300 means 'very unhealthy' air quality. It can have widespread effects in general population and can have serious impact on the sensitive group. It will trigger widespread health issues, followed by health warnings. Everyone is advised to avoid physical activity outdoors.

The crop burning in Haryana and Punjab is being blamed as the primary reason for this sudden toxic smog enveloping the city and its neighbouring areas.

Not many know that PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter), which is being overly used these days, is a deadly air pollutant which can settle in a person's lungs and can be hazardous to people's health. It is also responsible for reducing visibility.

The demand for air purifiers and anti-pollution masks have shot up substantially, as 200 million people fear succumbing to the toxic air.

Inhaling this air has been equated with smoking 50 cigarettes a day by doctors. So, who is worse, chain smokers or Delhiites? The latter, it seems.

So, in how many ways fog harms your body? What are its causes and effects? Here we take a look at the undercurrents of the subject.

What is smog?

It refers to a combination of smoke and fog, thus forming the word smog. It is a complex mixture that is formed by various pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and dust particles, which interact with the sunlight to form ground-level ozone, leading to the build-up of haze that hangs in industrial cities.

Causes of smog

Smog is caused as a result of industrial activities, vehicular traffic, open burning, higher temperature, Geography of a place, sunlight and calmer winds. These factors contribute to an all-encompassing smog, which can remain trapped in the atmosphere with higher temperature and sunlight.

Effects of smog

Exposure to smog can be severely harmful for the health of the exposed as it can cause/aggravate health conditions such as follows:

Chest infections/Irritation

Worsening of asthma/bronchitis/emphysema

Cold and eye irritation

Premature mortality

Damage to crops

Who is at a greater risk?   Smog affects everyone differently, depending on their lifestyle, health condition and age. The groups which are the most susceptible are:   Children & People with respiratory disorders.

Khadijah Nadeem

10 B

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