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Abstract

its, but I knew the same approach wouldn’t work. So soon I discovered that motivation played a smaller role than I thought.</p><p id="0392">But most importantly, I discovered that the key to sticking to new habits and routines was to create a system.</p><p id="8725" type="7">Instead of focusing too much on the results, I started to focus my energy in designing a system to be able to stick to my new habit without quitting after four days or so.</p><p id="61f7">A ‘system’ is just a fancy word and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. All I did was to implement a few strategies to perform my desired habit every day without using too much willpower.</p><h2 id="77d0">Strategy #1: Implementation intention</h2><p id="7f73">This strategy consists of making a specific plan of where and when you are going to perform your habit.</p><p id="1535">For example, I wrote in my notebook: I will read for 15 minutes after waking up at my study table.</p><p id="15d4" type="7">When you plan to do something ahead of time, you are more likely to do it because you will be thinking about it and it won’t take too much willpower to perform.</p><h2 id="b8a2">Strategy #2: Start with the easiest version of your habit</h2><p id="9e7b">Another great strategy to use if you are having a hard time sticking to a habit is to start with the easiest version of your habit.</p><p id="e139">I used this one for meditat

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ion because for a long time I wanted to adopt the habit but I couldn’t get myself to do it every day.</p><p id="91aa">I set the bar low and started meditating for 5 minutes every day. That required very little amount of willpower and that made it easy to perform.</p><p id="4a37">Once you feel comfortable, you can increase the amount of time. I meditated for 5 minutes, then I increased it to 6 minutes, then 10, and now I meditate for 15 minutes every day.</p><p id="5b8f" type="7">To reach a level of automatization, you need to be consistent. When you reach that point, you won’t’ even have to think or make an effort to perform your habits because they will become part of your identity.</p><h2 id="c594">Strategy #3: Learn to love your need habit</h2><p id="d702">I used this one when I first started adopted the habit of journaling or whenever I felt lazy to write.</p><p id="5662">There are a few ways to learn to love your new habit:</p><ul><li>Read content about the benefits of your new habit</li><li>Watch videos of people who already adopted the habit and see how their lives changed</li><li>Surround yourself with ideas, quotes and people that support your habit</li></ul><p id="bfca">Now you know that motivation is not the only thing that comes into play when adopting new habits. Implement these strategies and you’ll see how much easier it is to stick to them.</p></article></body>

Don’t Try To Motivate Yourself, Create A System Instead

How I adopted new habits with these simple strategies

I used to think that motivation was the key to achieving great things in life, and in a way, it is. We have to feel motivated to start a new project, practice a new hobby, or adopt a new habit.

At first, motivation drives us to start new things, but the amount of willpower we can tap into is limited.

Many times I tried to stick to a new habit, like reading, meditation, journaling, exercising, or writing.

I didn’t succeed at all. I used to stick to the new habit for a few days and then I’d come up with excuses to not perform the habit. I felt pathetic because I thought I wasn’t motivated enough to accomplish my desired goals.

The truth about motivation

After a while, I got inspired again to adopt healthy habits, but I knew the same approach wouldn’t work. So soon I discovered that motivation played a smaller role than I thought.

But most importantly, I discovered that the key to sticking to new habits and routines was to create a system.

Instead of focusing too much on the results, I started to focus my energy in designing a system to be able to stick to my new habit without quitting after four days or so.

A ‘system’ is just a fancy word and it’s not as complicated as it sounds. All I did was to implement a few strategies to perform my desired habit every day without using too much willpower.

Strategy #1: Implementation intention

This strategy consists of making a specific plan of where and when you are going to perform your habit.

For example, I wrote in my notebook: I will read for 15 minutes after waking up at my study table.

When you plan to do something ahead of time, you are more likely to do it because you will be thinking about it and it won’t take too much willpower to perform.

Strategy #2: Start with the easiest version of your habit

Another great strategy to use if you are having a hard time sticking to a habit is to start with the easiest version of your habit.

I used this one for meditation because for a long time I wanted to adopt the habit but I couldn’t get myself to do it every day.

I set the bar low and started meditating for 5 minutes every day. That required very little amount of willpower and that made it easy to perform.

Once you feel comfortable, you can increase the amount of time. I meditated for 5 minutes, then I increased it to 6 minutes, then 10, and now I meditate for 15 minutes every day.

To reach a level of automatization, you need to be consistent. When you reach that point, you won’t’ even have to think or make an effort to perform your habits because they will become part of your identity.

Strategy #3: Learn to love your need habit

I used this one when I first started adopted the habit of journaling or whenever I felt lazy to write.

There are a few ways to learn to love your new habit:

Read content about the benefits of your new habit
Watch videos of people who already adopted the habit and see how their lives changed
Surround yourself with ideas, quotes and people that support your habit

Now you know that motivation is not the only thing that comes into play when adopting new habits. Implement these strategies and you’ll see how much easier it is to stick to them.