“I'll study when I feel like it” — That Is the Problem

"I can't focus today; I'll start in full swing from tomorrow."

How many times have you said this sentence? And how many of those times did it actually start from tomorrow?

The problem is not your good intention. The problem is that you are relying on the wrong thing.

Motivation always goes up and down. It is like the weather — here today, gone tomorrow. It is not in anyone's control.

So if you are motivation dependent — that is, you work only when you have motivation — then your productivity will fluctuate just as much. And it is in this cycle of ups and downs that the risk of burnout is highest.

Working extremely hard for three days, then doing nothing for five — this is not sustainable.

Let the goal be to become motivation enhanced — that is, to be able to make use of motivation when it comes, but not to be dependent on it.

Let motivation be a bonus. Not the foundation.

So what will the foundation be?

The answer is a four-step method — DFUZ.

D — Distinguish (Separate them)

Learn to see feeling, thought and action as three separate things.

We usually mix them all together. "I feel tired" (feeling) → "I can't do it today" (thought) → book closed (action). As if one inevitably leads to the next.

But it doesn't.

Tiredness or laziness is merely a physical feeling. Just because you notice it, it is not compulsory to act — or not to act — based on it.

Notice the feeling. Name it — "Here it is, the feeling of tiredness has come." And then make your decision separately.

This is the most important step. The other three stand on it.

F — Fake (Pretend)

Keep working by pretending to be a person who has the feeling that you don't have.

That is — do the work even while tired. Sit in such a way, hold your pen in such a way, as if you were an energetic person.

It sounds ridiculous. But what happens here is wonderful:

As you work, your mind will begin to think — "Maybe I'm not that lazy." And the feeling will also begin to fade.

We think the feeling comes first and the action after. But the opposite is equally true — when you start working, the feeling changes.

U — Uptime (Increase the time)

Gradually increase the time you hold on to this defused state — that is, the state of continuing to work free from the grip of feelings.

10 → 12 → 14 → 20 → 30 minutes.

Do not aim for an hour from the very first day. Start with 10 minutes. Then increase it little by little.

And thanks to neuroplasticity, with practice the brain will become skilled at this — just as any muscle grows stronger with exercise.

Z — Zone (Build a zone)

Do you remember yesterday's distraction cheat sheet? I had asked you to write down everything that distracts you.

Now remove those triggers from your environment. Use an app blocker. Keep your workspace tidy.

There is only one aim — an obstacle-free zone of focus, where once you enter, there is nothing to do except work.

Because willpower is limited, but the environment is always working.

An Honest Word at the End

This is not a magic pill. Results come only through regular practice.

In the first week it will feel as though nothing has changed. In the second week you will notice a slight difference. From the third week the difference will be clear.

But once it becomes second nature, you will be able to keep going consistently even when you don't feel like it. And consistency is everything.

Tomorrow, day 20 — how to build a system for reaching your goals: how to keep going without willpower.

Even if you feel tired today, sit down for 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes. The rest will come by itself, in sha Allah.

May Allah grant us istiqamah (steadfastness). Ameen.

This article is about one part of the book "The Art of Learning". The full structure, the remaining chapters, and the section on knowledge, dua and ruqyah are in the book — See the book