Okay, I think I know what Emery means here. Suppose I have some unpleasant task that really needs to be done. Doing my income taxes, for instance.

A fairly poor motivation strategy might consist of my saying to myself something like, ``I've absolutely got to get this done, I have to do it, I have to do it, I have to do it,'' meanwhile having really bad feelings thinking about how unpleasant the task will be.

In this case, if some distraction comes along, I may very well jump at the chance to put off doing the task until later.

For many people, a much better motivation strategy is to think (visualize) what it will like to have the task completed, think about the feeling of satisfaction that will come after completing the task satisfactorily, and maybe say something like, ``It will be really nice to get this done.''

If I have a really good motivation strategy and have decided to do my taxes today, and then someone calls up and suggests some other activity for the day, I may very well say, ``Sorry, but I really want to get my taxes done today.'' (``Want,'' not ``have to.'')

A really good motivation strategy has some ressemblance to a compulsion. There's a very strong feeling in me that won't be satisfied unless I do the task immediately. (In fact, having a motivation strategy that's too effective is not necessarily ecological --- in my opinion, at least. If one is not able to feel comfortable making a rational decision to postpone an activity, then one is a prisoner of one's own strategy.)