We set ourselves a goal: lose weight, learn a foreign language, learn to dance. But a week or two goes by, and the enthusiasm fades. Psychologists have discovered why it’s difficult to maintain motivation and offer advice on how to strengthen willpower.
The brain is naturally wired to seek instant gratification. This is exactly how small children behave. As we grow older, we learn to limit our desires for the sake of future gain. It’s as if we make a deal with ourselves: say, to abstain from smoking for a few months, so that we can have healthy lungs and avoid the need for another dose of nicotine.
The difficulty is that such a deal results in a multitude of small daily decisions: throwing out cigarettes, passing by the tobacco display at the checkout, turning down colleagues’ offers to take a smoke break. Each such decision drains us of energy. The more such moments there are, the greater the chance that one day we’ll succumb and deviate from our goal.
According to psychologist Roy Baumeister, willpower is a natural resource that can become depleted through constant use. This leads to “decision fatigue.” Each new exertion of willpower becomes increasingly difficult. We feel discomfort and urge to return to a habitual (albeit unhealthy) behavior or do something that brings us pleasure (like eating something sweet).
To achieve real change, it’s important not only to set a goal but also to make it as easy as possible to make the right (but easy) decisions. But how can you achieve this? Here are some practical strategies.
Use the “if…then…” principle
A computer doesn’t hesitate to open the file you need. It receives a command and immediately finds the appropriate course of action thanks to the algorithms written into its program. Your task is to align your actions with these same algorithms. By determining in advance how you will act in a given potential situation, you eliminate unnecessary doubt. Write your actions in the form of “if…then…”
Tie your activity to the situation, not the time. For example, run not at eight in the morning, but half an hour before breakfast.
For example: if today is Monday, I’ll go to the gym and spend at least an hour there (no matter what). It’s better to tie the action to the situation rather than to a time. For example, instead of running at eight in the morning, run half an hour before breakfast. It’s best if your new habit is connected to your daily routine.
Shape your environment
The environment we live in maintains the routine we’re accustomed to. Our goal is to make it work toward our goals. For example, if you want to quit smoking, pay attention to the places and objects that remind you of this habit. Delete movies from your computer (or transfer them to a separate drive) that feature smoking characters. The same applies to songs that feature this theme.
Is there a store where you usually buy cigarettes on your way home or to work? Change your route. Try buying groceries online to avoid the tobacco counter.
Consider the influence of the group
Our decisions are influenced not only by the environment but also by the people around us. If smoking breaks are considered normal at your company (all of our colleagues do it one way or another), you’ll have to resist the temptation multiple times a day. What to do in such cases? Create your own support group. You can find like-minded people online.
The longer it takes to make a decision, the easier it is for us to give up on it.
Using social media, you can support each other, share motivating thoughts, and plan get-togethers and events (like yoga classes). Another option is to surround yourself with people who will balance your impulses. For example, if you want to start saving money, take a frugal friend with you on your shopping trip; she’ll be able to talk you out of reckless spending.
Remember the 20-second rule
Psychologist Shawn Achor observed that making a decision is easier if it takes no more than 20 seconds. Achor cites his own guitar lessons as an example. At first, he had to spend time getting his guitar out of the closet and uncasing it. By placing it next to a table or sofa, he shortened his path, thereby removing the barrier between decision and action. So, instead of several intermediate decisions (get up, go to the closet, open it, take the case off the instrument), Achor made one or two: walk over and pick up the guitar. Especially since it was within his line of sight.
Conversely, the longer it takes to make habitual decisions (like lighting a cigarette), the easier it is to give them up. If it’s difficult at first to go completely without cigarettes, make it more difficult for yourself to access them: put the pack in a lockable drawer and give the key to a colleague in another room.
