The best time to start doing something that works for you is…maybe tomorrow, right? This is when you have the motivation to start getting up early, Going the gymAnd the healthy foodLearn the language and practice the piano. Or maybe Monday would be better.
“Nine times out of 10, what gets in the way of all starting is our emotional response,” Tim BischelPhD, author Solving the puzzle of procrastination: a brief guide to strategies for changeTells Men’s magazine. “Although most of the time we don’t realize what it is.”
Which is why the first step to starting something is to identify your feelings – those that go deeper than feeling completely lazy. What is really stopping you? frustration? afraid? Worry? Defeating everything you started before but didn’t finish?
“Well, yeah, you feel all of that stuff,” says Bechel. “But you’re not going to fix any of that now. And do you want this hanging over your head tomorrow? No. So what’s next?”
Whether you’re building a new habit or want the motivation to dive in another day, these hacks from what we know about the human brain and psychology will help you take action. Put as many layers together as possible.
“One strategy alone probably won’t save you,” Bechel says. “You need different tools for different parts of the same job. The more you live them together, the more powerful they are.”
How to start anything: 20 expert-approved motivation strategies
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