{"id":234164,"date":"2023-06-24T17:23:41","date_gmt":"2023-06-24T21:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/?p=234164"},"modified":"2023-08-08T17:27:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T21:27:44","slug":"dont-confuse-your-watchadoon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coreywilkspsyd.com\/dont-confuse-your-watchadoon\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Confuse Your Watchadoon"},"content":{"rendered":"
Do you ever feel like you work hard all day, but have nothing to show for it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You were busy, so surely you actually did<\/em> something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there\u2019s a disconnect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, you\u2019d have already achieved at least half the goals you set for yourself a few months ago, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You claim to want these things, and you claim to do the things that will get you there\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet here you are, spinning your wheels day in and day out, with next to nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy the hell haven\u2019t I made more progress?\u201d<\/em> you wonder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s probably a simple explanation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re confusing your watchadoon<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s not a typo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me explain\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n A watchadoon is a small creature with large, curious eyes, and carries a tiny notebook to write down their observations in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve probably never seen your watchadoon, because they\u2019re incredibly shy (and can turn invisible if necessary). But it\u2019s always looking over your shoulder and trying to understand what you\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See, watchadoon don\u2019t understand humans. But they\u2019re fascinated by us and have a deep curiosity about the world. So each watchadoon is assigned a human to observe, take notes on, and report back to its little village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But since it\u2019s so shy, it can\u2019t just ask you what you\u2019re doing. It can only observe your actions and draw conclusions based<\/em> on your actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of it like a tiny anthropologist\u2014it doesn\u2019t interact, it only observes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite its curious nature and love of understanding humans, we frequently do things that confuse our watchadoon\u2014and this is why you\u2019re not getting the results you want.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what I mean\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s how a watchadoon works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, let\u2019s say you claim to be a writer.<\/strong> Based on its observations of your behaviors, would your watchadoon know you\u2019re a writer? Or would it think you\u2019re a professional Twitter-scroller?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well Corey, I am a writer! I just\u2026sometimes\u2026throughout the day\u2026for 20 minutes at a time\u2026doomscroll when I know I should be writing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Or maybe you claim to be a loving parent and partner.<\/strong> Does your watchadoon know this? Or does it think your job is to ignore your loved ones and take your frustrations out on them? Because that\u2019s what your actions on a regular basis might suggest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listen Corey, I love my family. I just have a lot going on right now and, yeah I can snap sometimes, but they know I love them because I say it all the time. My words are more important than how I actually treat them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ok, let\u2019s say you claim to be a health nut.<\/strong> Would your watchadoon write down \u201cfitness enthusiast\u201d in its notebook based on what it\u2019s observed over the last week? Or would it jot down, \u201cCouch-enthusiast and Cheeto-finger-licking Ding-Dong-inhaler?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Corey, that\u2019s not accurate! I\u2019m a healthy person and love eating clean! I just\u2026I\u2019ve been stressed lately, and busy, and it\u2019s just been hard to\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re confusing your watchadoon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because what you claim to be doesn\u2019t align with the actions you\u2019re taking on a day-to-day basis.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t me being critical of you<\/strong>\u2014I\u2019ve confused my watchadoon many times. But any time I\u2019ve felt like I\u2019ve been working so hard, but have nothing to show for it, it\u2019s because what I claimed to be didn\u2019t align with the actions I was taking on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, I\u2019d claim to be a writer and get frustrated I wasn\u2019t bringing in more money. But then I thought about what my watchadoon would have jotted down in its tiny notebook:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, every 15 minutes or so, Corey cycled through refreshing his Twitter notifications, new newsletter subscriber total, and website analytics. Then he sipped coffee while clicking through the 100 tabs he has open on his computer. Then he spent 30 minutes in the bathroom. Then he got a snack. Then he came back to his office and refreshed his notifications all over again. Then he wrote for 10 minutes. Then he got distracted with something else, watched some YouTube videos, made lunch, watched more YouTube, listened to a podcast while scrolling the internet. Then he wrote for another hour (while stopping every 15 minutes to check notifications). Then he texted friends and answered emails. Then he quit for the day and lamented he didn\u2019t get more done.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Corey must be a professional piddler, because he spent all day piddling and doing a whole lot of nothing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How in the fuck did I expect to get real results from such half-assed effort?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So I made a change and started focusing on the 3 moats every successful creator builds first<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I know I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating is incredibly hard. It\u2019s no wonder there are so many productivity hacks marketed toward creators and entrepreneurs. There\u2019s so much resistance to the creative process and existential angst<\/a>, we unconsciously self-sabotage<\/a> all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But productivity isn\u2019t our problem.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I hear so many creators struggle with the frustration of feeling like they\u2019re busy all day long but have nothing to show for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s because we\u2019re confusing our watchadoon.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So how can you stop confusing your watchadoon?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simple\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n Align your actions with your intentions\u2014it\u2019s that simple and that difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a writer<\/strong>\u2014fucking write<\/em>. Structure your routine so that your watchadoon knows exactly what you claim to be. It\u2019ll know you\u2019re a writer based on the fact you spend a set period of your day acting like a writer\u2014doing what a writer does. Whether you have a set word count for the day or a set amount of time you write every day\u2014do what a writer does if you claim to be a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a family man\/woman\/person<\/strong>\u2014show the love you have for your family through your actions, not just your words. Spend time with them, find healthier ways of de-stressing so you don\u2019t scapegoat them, and be a source of support and compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a fitness enthusiast<\/strong>\u2014don\u2019t just talk about it, be about it. Exercise, eat clean, prioritize your sleep, and whatever other actions you know align with being health-conscious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever you claim to be\u2014do the work you need to do to be the thing you claim to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because when what you claim to be aligns with the actions you take on a consistent basis\u2014your watchadoon will know exactly what you are.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It won\u2019t be confused anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n The metaphor of a watchadoon watching you may seem weird, but it\u2019s actually based on a psychological concept called the Hawthorne Effect.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, the Hawthorne Effect is when we alter our behaviors based on the knowledge we\u2019re being observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about how you might exercise harder when others are at the gym, or how you\u2019re more productive in a coworking environment than when you work alone. Simply knowing others are watching you causes you to change your behavior\u2014typically improving your performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So literally just pretending a mythical tiny anthropologist creature-thing is watching you can boost your productivity and help you align your actions with your intentions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n So here\u2019s a quick exercise to try out…<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next time you start to do something, ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would my watchadoon think I am based on my current behavior?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n See how asking this simple question alters your behavior and (hopefully) helps you better align your actions with your intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, your watchadoon is watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t confuse it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022\u2022\u2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m awful at drawing, so I tried my hand at Canva\u2019s text-to-image feature to help me visualize a watchadoon for this piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what I came up with:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a Watchadoon?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How You Confuse Your Watchadoon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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How to Stop Confusing Your Watchadoon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
P.S.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n