The Best Way to Make the Right Choice is to Limit Your Ability To Choose
Choices introduce variability and risk into your work. As such, if your desire is for consistent quality output, you need to limit those variables.
What does that look like?
Software Engineering
Use linting software, managed services, or automate deployments to limit the risk of choosing the wrong, manual change
Personal Productivity
Block YouTube, Facebook, the News, etc. from your work computer. Turn of email and Slack notifications. Remove games from your phone and clear your desk to limit the risk of a distraction
Personal Health
Keep a glass of water by your desk. Only buy healthy food and meal plan ahead of time to limit your ability to choose unhealthy food
Quality output and maintaining focus is less about grit, determination, and willpower and more about acknowledging how your environment affects you, and shaping it to naturally drive you to the results you want.
