[ansaso]

If you consistently need to trick yourself into reading a page of a book there are probably deeper issues that won't be fixed by: "Eat more vegetables → Eat an apple".

Hip-shot hypothesis: The productivity literature audience is overwhelmingly intelligent people with untreated ADD & ADHD.

[qgrgergfqgfev]

> If you consistently need to trick yourself

I disagree, it's possible to find hacks to change your own behavior and even how your body works, these hacks can then turn into habits and long-lasting behavior.

[johnchristopher]

> Hip-shot hypothesis: The productivity literature audience is overwhelmingly intelligent people with untreated ADD & ADHD.

I'd add anxiety (GAD or things like that) to the list.

[laurieg]

If you have big problems with productivity and procrastination then it's really worth seeing a specialist. You can't diagnose yourself over the internet.

Also, all the coping mechanisms you've built up over the years can easily mask the problem. We used to ask people "Can you dress yourself?" to assess if they have manual dexterity issues. The problem is, almost everyone says "Yes". The people with the dexterity issues simply wear loose clothing and never buy anything with buttons. They probably haven't even thought about it for years, it's just their normal.

Mental issues can be similar. I've you've got through to adulthood you likely have a huge range of tricks, some of which you don't even think about anymore, to help get you through the day.

[projektfu]

Yet, this happens to be a strategy used in therapy for ADHD and related disorders of executive function.

[ineedasername]

However many deeper issues are, in part, dealt with by coming up with incremental coping strategies.

[jamestimmins]

Hah, my therapist told me about the 2-minute rule right before suggesting I get tested for ADHD.

[skinkestek]

> Hip-shot hypothesis: The productivity literature audience is overwhelmingly intelligent people with untreated ADD & ADHD.

I see your point.

Then again, one of the problems for some of those are that they start way too many thing.