a daily program about as follows. He would
get up in the morning full of {541} confidence that this was going to
be a good day, with much progress made in his book. Before starting to
write, however, he must first have his breakfast, and then a little
fresh air, just to prepare himself for energetic work. On returning
from his walk, he thought it best to rest for a few moments, and then
one or two other little matters seemed to demand attention; by the
time these were done, the morning was so far gone that there was no
time for a really good effort, so he optimistically postponed the
writing till the afternoon, when the same sort of thing happened, and
the great performance had to be put over till the next day. This man
did better under a regime prescribed by his medical adviser, who
commanded him to write for two hours immediately after rising, and
make this his day's work--no more and no less than two hours. The
definiteness of this task prevented dawdling.

Other writers have noted a curious tendency to "fight shy" of the
passage actually being written and let the thoughts move ahead and
plan out the later passages. Sometimes it is necessary to trick
yourself if you are to get anything done; you say, "I can't write this
properly just now; I'll just sketch out a preliminary draft"--on which
understanding you may be able to write, whereas you could not if you
thought you were writing "for keeps"; but when you have got well
started and warmed to the task, you may find your work good enough to
keep, after all. Judging by these mild cases, abulia may be due partly
to distaste for the details of actual performance, and partly to a
dread of committing oneself to anything that has the stamp of
finality.

Securing Action

No chapter in psychology offers more in the way of practical
applications than this chapter on the will--if we only {542} knew more
on the subject! How to get action, either from yourself, or from
others if you are responsible for their action, is a big practical
problem. A few hints on the matter are suggested by what precedes.

How to get action from yourself--how to liberate your latent energies
and accomplish what you are capable of accomplishing. A definite
purpose is the first requirement; without that one merely drifts, with
no persistency and no great energy. The goal should be something that
appeals vitally to you, and something which you can attain; not too
distant a goal; or, if the ultima