Last week I’m scrolling Reddit super late and see this post about “edging encouragement.” Sounds fancy, right? Like it’s some next-level motivation hack. The article promises big results with just 5 easy steps. I’m like, why not? Download the PDF guide, brew some coffee, and dive in Tuesday morning.
Step 1: “Identify Your Edge”
The guide said to pick a task I always avoid. Easy. Mine’s filing paperwork – my desk drawers look like a paper bomb exploded. So I tell myself, “Just file for FIVE MINUTES.” Feels stupid saying it out loud. Grab a dusty stack of receipts from 2022. Clock starts. 60 seconds in, my brain’s screaming “Check email! Check your phone!” Ignore it. Four minutes later, drawer’s half-sorted. Hey, progress!
Step 2: “Whisper Sweet Nothings to Your Brain”
Next step’s cringe: literally talk nice to yourself while doing the sucky task. Felt like an idiot muttering, “Good job buddy, yeah, file that receipt… you’re crushing it…” over water bills. Neighbor almost caught me through the window. Did it anyway. Surprisingly, the annoyance distracted me from how much filing sucked.
Step 3: “The Five-Second Pause & Push”
Here’s where it got weird. Guide says when you wanna quit, pause for 5 seconds, then push HARDER. Filing my insurance docs, that “I’m done” itch hit. Counted: “One… two… ugh… three… four…” Then jammed papers into folders like a maniac. Actually filed more in those extra seconds. Weirdly satisfying.
Step 4: “Celebrate Micro-Wins Like a Maniac”
Finished the stack? Dance time. Guide insisted on celebrating EVERY tiny win. Did a terrible chair-boogie shuffle after organizing one drawer. My dog looked terrified. Dumb? Yes. But grinning like a fool did make tackling the NEXT drawer feel less awful.
Step 5: “Rinse & Repeat (But Worse)”
The big finale: Do it ALL AGAIN tomorrow with a HARDER task. Chose my garage – nightmare zone. Tried the steps on a box of rusty tools Wednesday. Whispered encouragement over a wrench. Paused when wanting to flee spiders. Pushed. Danced after sorting sockets. Sweaty, dusty… garage still 90% chaos. But that 10%? Mine.
Did It Work? Honestly…
Here’s the real deal:
- The “edge” crap? Basically just doing stuff you hate, but slower.
- The talking part? Mortifying. But weirdly cuts the whiny voice in your head.
- The pause & push? Actually works when you feel like bailing.
- The dancing? Still stupid. Made me laugh though. Laughter > despair when facing chaos.
- Big success? Nope. Garage isn’t Instagram-ready. But I touched the doom-box. That’s new.
Took Thursday off recovering. Friday my boss drops a massive data-entry project on my desk – the kind I usually “accidentally” leave till Monday. Looked at it. Groaned. Then whispered, “Come on man… five minutes.” Finished the first section. Didn’t dance though. Some dignity left.
Verdict? Less “encouragement,” more tricking your lazy lizard brain into doing trash tasks one cringey whisper at a time. Probably keep using the pause trick. The dancing can go.
