Motivation
How to set the right goals and stay motivated (via TED)
- Change the situation, or change how you think about the situation.
- Forcing function — beat yourself up about not walking enough, get a dog that forces you to walk it
- We want to be the person who has achieved the goal, not the person who’s currently trying to achieve it.
- If you don’t enjoy it, you’re less likely to stick to it.
- People don’t like to invest in ‘means’ — e.g., paying for parking so you can go to a bar, studying for prerequisites so you can take another class.
- The middle problem = motivation is high when starting and high near completion, but low in the middle. Solution = make the middle short (decrease the time between start and end).
- Get your ego out of the way
- Seek discomfort temporarily instead of avoiding it.
- We often have multiple goals, though. Some things can be bundled: exercise while listening to an audiobook; others cannot.
- Anticipate temptations so you are more prepared once they come.
- Friends and family are critical for motivation. That can mean being with others or being around others.