Habit Hack #2: Win With Only 30 Minutes of Motivation Per Week
As we approach New Year’s resolution season, I’m sharing five hacks that might help you create and stick with new habits in 2022. Below is habit hack number two…
#2: Win With Only 30 Minutes of Motivation Per Week
Willpower, like our muscles, fatigues with use. As an example, a researcher named Roy Baumeister filled a room with the aroma of fresh-baked cookies and showed subjects trays of cookies along with other sweet treats. Then he gave some of his test subjects fresh-baked cookies, while the others were given radishes instead. All subjects were then asked to work on a difficult puzzle. The subjects who were given radishes made far fewer attempts and devoted less than half the time to solving the puzzle compared to the subjects who got to eat the cookies. In other words, resisting the cookies exhausted the subjects’ reservoir of willpower, leaving them depleted when they attempted to complete the puzzle.
We see this effect when people go on crash diets. They exert willpower for days, perhaps even weeks, only to binge at the end of the time period and gain back the weight they lost–and maybe even gain more.
One of the best ways to stick to your habits is to use your limited willpower intelligently. Aim to maximize the leverage you get from each unit of willpower you consume by using it to create systems or circumstances which set you up for success.
One of the highest-leverage ways to use your willpower is to control your calendar. For example, on Sunday spend 30 minutes organizing your calendar. Put one- or two-hour blocks of time on your calendar to work on your important to-do list items that require more concentration, like planning, thinking, brainstorming, writing, and completing projects. Then, when those blocks come up, turn off your WiFi and work on the project. Using willpower to establish your calendar will spare you the mental capacity of searching for blocks of time in the middle of your busy week.
Another example of a weekly habit is to make a list of healthy snacks and foods, then shop at the grocery store when you’re full. This routine will require about 45 minutes of willpower at the start of your week, and will free you of the daily and even hourly willpower required to resist the potato chips in your cupboard.
Other examples:
Schedule a 30-minute weekly call with a friend or coach to talk about your goals each week.
Engage a friend with whom you can go on a walk or go to the gym, hire a personal trainer, or engage a work colleague to help on difficult tasks.
James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits” suggests putting sweets or alcohol in difficult-to-reach places out of your sight to reduce the willpower required to resist them.
Most of us have tried to start a new habit and failed. It’s not our fault! We likely depleted our reservoir of willpower. Plan ahead to set yourself up for success by reducing the amount of willpower you need to create your new habit.
This is part two in my five-part series on habits. Read the next post here.