Can you mix a pleasurable present moment with self-discipline?

[Matt Willard]

andrew112's thread about withholding pleasure for the sake of self-discipline spurred another question I have. Recently, I've been trying to live subjectively and make my present moment as enjoyable as possible. However, I am concerned that self-discipline doesn't mix well with this. There's unpleasurable or neutral things to do, of course. How would you say you make your present moment as blissful as possible while balancing these issues?

[Mattyyy]

What kinds of things are you doing to boost your self-discipline that are unpleasant to begin with? Or are you referring to how to have fun or enjoy doing really boring/dull/not fun things that require you to have a decent amount of self-discipline?

[Matt Willard]

Originally Posted by Mattyyy

What kinds of things are you doing to boost your self-discipline that are unpleasant to begin with? Or are you referring to how to have fun or enjoy doing really boring/dull/not fun things that require you to have a decent amount of self-discipline?

More the second thing. I'm mainly interested in getting stuff done while keeping things pleasurable. Then again, I could just still be mired in a "past-future" mentality, and I'm concerned about my position in life. The more I think about it, actually, the more I realize it's just my fears talking.

[Apollia]

Listening to music can sometimes make a lot of neutral or unpleasant tasks more fun for me. I noticed many years ago that I often get a lot more patient and less aggravated and bored with programming when I listen to music at the same time. (Sometimes music is distracting, though).

If I'm doing a mindless task like cleaning, then I like to either listen to the TV, music, or some other type of audio recording, like podcasts, or the radio.

Timeboxing (described in Overcoming Procrastination by Steve Pavlina and elsewhere) is also very helpful.

Also, rather than working at a desk, I have my computer set up right next to my bed. That might be a contributing factor to insomnia, but at least it's comfortable. A really comfortable chair might be a nice alternative.

Little details, like using especially pleasing background/text/window colors and desktop wallpaper on my computer, also help.

Being more organized than I used to be, and more easily able to find all the things I need to be able to work on whatever project, makes it quicker for me to get started and get tasks over with.

Noting down everything I need to get done gives me peace of mind, since then I have no reason to worry that I'll forget something.

Best wishes,
Apollia