INSyed: Psychology, Simply

start now or plan forever; why do my sims always live better lives than I do

You know exactly what you need to do. You've written it down, time-blocked it, maybe even colour-coded it. And yet — nothing starts. In this episode, I reflects on six hours of playing The Sims and the uncomfortable moment I realised my virtual self was outperforming me. Not because he was smarter or more disciplined — but because he was simpler. No hesitation. No "one more thing before I start." Just the next action. References * Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493 [https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.54.7.493]

you still have a battery

How letting my laptop die let me live. Burnout doesn't always announce itself with a collapse — sometimes it shows up as not caring anymore. In this week's episode, I'm coming to you five hours deep into a report, running on fumes and the wrong kind of determination, and what happened when I unplugged my laptop on purpose and worked until the battery died. Rest days exist for a reason. You're no machine — but you still have a battery. Reference List * https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35997632/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35997632/]

You Don't Need Hope, You Need Agency

This one is different. I'm going back to where it all started — episode one. And reading it with fresh eyes, a year later and 10,000km from home. In this episode: the reason agency is still the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, the mistake I made framing hope and agency as opposites, and why hope is the invitation that agency walks through. As always — there's always more INSyed.

you were always going to notice it

My shoelaces kept coming undone. On the third time stopping to tie them, I noticed a patch of grass I'd never really seen — despite walking past it every day. That's inattentional blindness: the brain's filter that helps us function, and quietly hides the world from us. This week, we look at what we've been missing. Reference List * https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12620563_Gorillas_in_Our_Midst_Sustained_Inattentional_Blindness_for_Dynamic_Events [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/12620563_Gorillas_in_Our_Midst_Sustained_Inattentional_Blindness_for_Dynamic_Events] * https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-inattentional-blindness-2795020 [https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-inattentional-blindness-2795020] * https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873 [https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873] * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo]

good enough is enough

What if the thing holding you back isn't laziness — it's perfectionism in disguise? In this episode, I explore how the pressure to get everything right before we begin quietly narrows our thinking and kills our satisfaction. Drawing on a 2020 study on self-compassion as a remedy for maladaptive perfectionism, I share what it actually looks like to swap perfectionism for excellence — and why that shift changes everything. Plus, a small story from a career fair that I almost didn't go to. Reference List * https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343521847_Self-Compassion_as_a_Mediator_Between_Perfectionism_and_Personal_Growth_Initiative * https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/perfectionism-might-be-hurting-you-heres-how-to-change-your-relationship-to-achievement/#What-is-Perfectionism [https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/perfectionism-might-be-hurting-you-heres-how-to-change-your-relationship-to-achievement/#What-is-Perfectionism] * https://www.valleyoaks.org/health-hub/perfectionism-understanding-the-hidden-mental-health-risk/ [https://www.valleyoaks.org/health-hub/perfectionism-understanding-the-hidden-mental-health-risk/]