Harness the Power of Imagination

One of the most interesting things about our minds is that for as smart as they are, they’re not always great at telling the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined.

You can very easily demonstrate this in a number of ways. One is to close your eyes and imagine a lemon. Imagine cutting one open, squeezing juices from a section, and feeling it on your hands. Now imagine biting into it. Most likely, you’ll get feeling in your mouth very much like you’d get from actually tasting a lemon.

But you can use this to your advantage, as well. When you think about your day, and set up the tasks to go on your card, envision what it will be like doing those things. If it helps, close your eyes. This helps to prime your mind for actually doing these things.

You may find that as you imagine doing the things you’re considering putting on your card, some of them overwhelm you. You may need to break them down into smaller tasks, or define them better. You may come to realize that you’ll need to reduce the amount of tasks for the day. You may also think about other tasks that you’ll need to do, which are related to important ones you’re already committed to today.

The point is, your mind has a weird weakness that you can use as a strength: It treats even imagined things as real. So use your imagination to walk through your day, and see how your mind reacts to that. Note your emotions, capture any other things you remember, and change your tasks as you need to.