The Akrasia Effect: Why We Don’t Follow Through on Things By the summer of 1830, Victor Hugo was facing an impossible deadline. Twelve months earlier, the famous French author had made an agreement with his publisher that he would write a new book titled, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Instead of writing the book, Hugo spent the next year pursuing other projects, entertaining guests, and delaying his work on the text. Hugo's publisher had become frustrated by his repeated procrastination and responded by setting a formidable deadline. The strategy worked. The Ancient Problem of Akrasia Human beings have been procrastinating for centuries. Akrasia is the state of acting against your better judgment. Why would Victor Hugo commit to writing a book and then put it off for over a year? Why We Make Plans, But Don't Take Action One explanation for why akrasia rules our lives and procrastination pulls us in has to do with a behavioral economics term called “time inconsistency.” The Framework You Need to Beat Procrastination Fighting Akrasia Read Next
The Scientific Argument for Mastering One Thing at a Time Many people, myself included, have multiple areas of life they would like to improve. For example, I would like to reach more people with my writing, to lift heavier weights at the gym, and to start practicing mindfulness more consistently. Those are just a few of the goals I find desirable and you probably have a long list yourself. The problem is, even if we are committed to working hard on our goals, our natural tendency is to revert back to our old habits at some point. Recently, I’ve come across a few research studies that (just maybe) will make these difficult lifestyle changes a little bit easier. Too Many Good Intentions If you want to master multiple habits and stick to them for good, then you need to figure out how to be consistent. Well, here is one of the most robust findings from psychology research on how to actually follow through on your goals: This finding is well proven and has been repeated in hundreds studies across a broad range of areas. Read Next
Intention, No Unrealistics Goals I came to meditation after years of trying to improve my life. I’d been stuck in depression for a long time, and meditation was the latest in a long line of wheezes meant to relieve the gloom. However, something curious happened when I followed the instructions given—I discovered it was impossible to meditate and struggle at the same time. Struggle still happened, for sure, but this was when I was “trying to meditate,” adding my own expectations or goals to the practice, or “not bothering to meditate,” just letting my habits of mind take over. When I actually meditated (staying present, opening to experience, coming back when the mind wandered), the sense of trying, hoping, wanting things to be different, or of giving in to despondency, hopelessness and fear—all this began to fall away. Instead came glimpses of the peace I had been desperately searching for. I often see the same thing now in beginning practitioners. Goals vs. Making mindfulness an intention is different.
Why You’re Unhealthy, Stuck, and Miserable I hear from people all the time who feel stuck in bad jobs, bad habits, and bad relationships. And when it comes down to it, I have one single piece of advice. Courtesy of IStock/Pinkypills It’s pretty simple, actually. Ready? Here it goes: Stop thinking about it. The Power of Shifting Your Focus I lived many of my early professional years under stress, out of shape, and behind on my to-do list. Here’s what we know. Nobody finds a better job by complaining about the bad one. What we need—and what researchers say actually works—is a replacement strategy. Out with the Bad, in with the Good One of the best ways to use this these strategies is with implementation intentions. When we feel like overeating, for instance, it makes more sense to go for a walk than stand by the fridge hoping your will power holds. So how can we craft replacement strategies for ourselves? Four Essential Questions Here are four essential questions you can answer to start changing your circumstances:
Process Improvement: This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent In 2010, Dave Brailsford faced a tough job. No British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France, but as the new General Manager and Performance Director for Team Sky (Great Britain’s professional cycling team), Brailsford was asked to change that. His approach was simple. Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred to as the “aggregation of marginal gains.” He explained it as “the 1 percent margin for improvement in everything you do.” His belief was that if you improved every area related to cycling by just 1 percent, then those small gains would add up to remarkable improvement. They started by optimizing the things you might expect: the nutrition of riders, their weekly training program, the ergonomics of the bike seat, and the weight of the tires. But Brailsford and his team didn’t stop there. Brailsford believed that if they could successfully execute this strategy, then Team Sky would be in a position to win the Tour de France in five years time. He was wrong. The Bottom Line
What Makes The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs? I've started to notice (partially because of my own failures), that there is one skill that is so valuable that it will make you a standout in any area of life, no matter what kind of competition you face. What is this skill and how can you develop it? Let's talk about that now. Before we talk about how to get started, though, I wanted to let you know I researched and compiled science-backed ways to stick to good habits and stop procrastinating. Want to check out my insights? Every Day at 8am Last summer, I was speaking with Todd Henry. I, on the other hand, do a remarkable job of putting out questionable work on an inconsistent basis. “Todd, what do you think about writing only when you feel motivated? “That's cool,” Todd replied. The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs It doesn't matter what you are trying to become better at, if you only do the work when you’re motivated, then you’ll never be consistent enough to become a professional. I've seen this in my own experiences… 1.
To Make Big Gains, Avoid Tiny Losses In many cases, improvement is not about doing more things right, but about doing less things wrong. To understand what I mean, we need to take a trip to Japan. The Curious Case of Japanese Television Sets In the decades that followed World War II, the manufacturing industry in America thrived. For years, American companies grew in size and profitability—even though they produced many products of average quality. This gravy train began to slide off the tracks in the 1970s. “Japanese firms emphasized what came to be known as “lean production,” relentlessly looking to remove waste of all kinds from the production process, down to redesigning workspaces, so workers didn’t have to waste time twisting and turning to reach their tools. Business buzzwords like Kaizen, Lean Production, and Process Improvement are so ubiquitous today that it can be easy to gloss over the subtlety of the Japanese strategy. Two Paths to Improvement These concepts of addition and subtraction apply to many areas of life.
How to Be Great By Leo Babauta Start by admitting that greatness doesn’t come from the distraction and busywork that often fills up our lives. It comes from making a difference in the world. Now consider how you can make a difference in the lives of others. Be the example of compassion for others around you. Know that it doesn’t matter if you achieve the compassionate result you set out to achieve — what matters is the intention to improve the lives of others. And you can show up, every day. Carve out the time. Pursue this compassionate work with single-minded devotion. Practice until you’re amazing. This compassionate work, with good-hearted intention, pursued with single-minded devotion: this is greatness.