**Doing something only to get a result is a less-than-desirable experience.** Anything that is done in pursuit of a "result" will take you out of the moment if you are not careful. It's hard to be here and now when you were doing some thing **only** to get an effect. Working only as a means to an end almost by definition destroys any semblance of [[Mindfulness & Now]]. Doing something because you enjoy it ([[Intrinsic Motivation]]) is a great way to enjoy the here and now, and if it just so happens to net some result that's desirable that's a doubly-good thing. As James Clear says: [[Love the Process]] # Coffee Example I make coffee at the same time every day, following the exact same set of steps. My routine produces the right amount of coffee with the right level of strength, in a minimal amount of time, and leaves me with clean counter. I can do this set of 6 steps in my sleep. Making coffee is now a solved problem. I no longer have to think, and therefore I’m free to consider life’s bigger problems. I can think about what I want to accomplish today. I can think about how to solve a problem that’s been dogging me. I can think about whatever I want, and still produce the black magical elixir of happiness. It’s multichannel multitasking at its finest. Here’s the rub: because I follow this routine, the act of _making coffee_ no longer provides me any level of satisfaction. It’s not inherently pleasing. I don’t stop and smell the beans. I have freed my mind to think about anything, and as a result I have been “freed” to use my coffee making routine as a time to continue to be anxious about this or worry about that. **** # More ## Source - [[The Little Book of Hygge]] - [[How to Do Nothing]] - https://aarongilly.com/Columns/393 ## Related - [[Intrinsic Motivation]] - [[Love the Process]]