What is Autopilot Mode? (and how you can harness it)

A counterintuitive but effective approach to intentional living.

Happy Tuesday!

Finals week is in full swing. I have one assignment due tomorrow and two assignments due on Friday. My strategies for finding the motivation to work stopped working, so I’m relying heavily on Autopilot Mode now.

🤨 Autopilot Mode is…

A state of being where you do your tasks without directly thinking about them.

It’s like navigating to the grocery store near your home. You’ve been there enough times to know the way, so you can direct your attention toward other important things like looking out for traffic or avoiding potholes on the road.

To enter Autopilot Mode:

1. Create a plan of action (e.g. a prioritized list of tasks)

2. Remove your feelings

3. Start on the first task

Step #1 helps you immensely if you’re tackling a task for the first time.

Step #2 is crucial. By “removing your feelings”, I really mean eliminating them—even if they’re positive, and especially if they’re negative. You can do this using any mindfulness practice that you’re comfortable with.

• Negative feelings can create analysis paralysis, stopping you from starting on a task or persisting through obstacles.

• Positive feelings can (unconsciously) create expectations. When those expectations aren’t met, it’s easy to feel derailed and demotivated.

That being said…

✅ Autopilot Mode is great for:

#1: Persisting through tasks that you must complete, but don’t like. You may enjoy your work, but it’s impossible to love all the tasks involved.

I like programming. But I also hate debugging—I get frustrated when I run into errors and bugs. Without Autopilot Mode, I can get apprehensive at the mere thought of debugging. Maintaining a neutral state removes the dread and gives me the clarity I need to google properly for solutions to the problem.

#2: Doing tasks faster. In Autopilot Mode, you work methodically like a robot: Knock out Task #1, move on to Task #2, and complete Task #3.

• You’ve removed your feelings, so you don’t feel as tempted to distract yourself with social media or Netflix.

• You’re focused on completing the task, so when you encounter problems, you’re more likely to persist through the problem and become creative at solving it.

❌ Autopilot Mode is NOT useful…

#1: For planning, especially for long-term time horizons. You should be deliberate in your planning so that your pursuits are intentional in helping you move closer to where you want to be.

#2: As a way of life. If you’re in Autopilot Mode all the time, you’d blink and realize that you’ve “coasted” through a significant period of time. That’s when you feel that life has stagnated or become unintentional.

For example, I had set several non-academic goals before attending university. But adapting to a new way of learning and settling down in a new country was difficult, and I had to use Autopilot Mode to cope with everything.

I’d get started on my goals after Month #2, I told myself. However, because Autopilot Mode had been my way of life for a while, it wasn’t easy to get out of it.

Two months quickly became one semester, and then my entire first year of university, without much progress on my non-academic goals.

Thus, only use Autopilot Mode to get through the hard times. A periodic, deliberate review of your life is always important—it helps you right the ship quickly when you go off-course.