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As I mentioned in my last blog, setting goals is one thing, but getting started and sticking to them is another thing altogether. Just ask the supposed 92% of Americans who don't follow through on their New Year's resolutions! We all know the feeling: you know what you should be doing, you realise how important it is to your goals, but you really can't be bothered to start... or to keep going! You find yourself doing anything but what you should be doing in a desperate attempt to avoid the task at hand. Next time you find yourself checking Facebook instead of practicing, struggling to get your audition application in on time, falling into old self-destructive habits or simply sitting on the lounge, 'unable' to move, give one of these proven strategies a try: 1. Get support There is nothing like a little social pressure to get us going. Tell the people closest to you what you are meant to be doing and tell them your deadline as well, so they can check up on you! It is also important that your loved ones understand your goals and are ready to be there to give you a push when you are lacking the willpower yourself. That been said, it doesn't help to tell everyone what your goals are; it turns out that when it comes to identity goals (the ones that refer to the kind of person we want to be) we are less likely to spend sufficient time on, and act on our goals when we make our intentions public. Apparentely, by telling people our goals, and having them acknowledged, we trick ourselves into believing they are already complete, and so we don't bother making the effort that we may have otherwise. 2. Reward yourself A little reward can go a long way, knowing there is something to look forward to at the end of a challenge sweetens the deal. It doesn't have to be chocolate or alcohol (although it can be!). It might be a walk, an episode of your favourite show or coffee with a friend. Knowing you will receive a reward (even a small one) is enough to hijack the motivational centres of the brain which drive you towards action. Modern technology bombards us with a constant array of distractions at every turn. From instant messaging, to emails popping up on the desktop, to Facebook updates, there is a constant stream of distractions just waiting to draw us away from the task at hand. Especially when the task is rather arduous! I recently watched a movie called Thanks for Sharing where the lead was a recovering sex addict, so he would have the television removed from every hotel room he entered. This may be a little excessive, but certainly knowing your weaknesses and ensuring you can't be tempted by them when trying to complete a task can make a big difference. Don't be fooled by pretending you are multitasking - the latest research suggests that multitasking leads to a loss of up to 40% of your productivity! Turn off your message feeds, log out of Facebook, put your phone under your mattress if necessary - make it harder to be drawn in by your favourite distractions. 3. Avoid distractors Modern technology bombards us with a constant array of distractions at every turn. From instant messaging, to emails popping up on the desktop, to Facebook updates, there is a constant stream of distractions just waiting to draw us away from the task at hand. Especially when the task is rather arduous! I recently watched a movie called Thanks for sharing where the lead guy was a recovering sex addict, so he would have the television removed from every hotel room he entered. This may be a little excessive, but certainly knowing your weaknesses and ensuring you can't be tempted by them when trying to complete a task can make a big difference. Don't be fooled by pretending you are multitasking - the latest research suggests that multitasking leads to a loss of up to 40% of your productivity! Turn off your message feeds, log out of Facebook, put your phone under your mattress if necessary - make it harder to be drawn in by your favourite distractions. 4. 5 minute take-off With most tasks, it is getting started that is the hardest thing. If you aren't feeling motivated, don't try and force yourself to do a whole hour. Say you will do five minutes and then see how you feel. Most of the time, after 5 minutes you will find that you are more than happy to keep going. "My advice is to never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time." Charles Dickens 5. Be kind to yourselfWillpower is indeed a valuable force when striving towards a goal, but beating yourself up when your willpower fails or expecting it to be faultless has been proven to do more damage than good. Willpower has a limited capacity (studies have shown that people who have already sustained considerable willpower on one task will be less able to continue to exert their willpower on a following task) so it is important to be kind to yourself and create opportunities to rejuvenate your energy and your willpower. Studies show that people are more likely to reach their goals when they are forgiving of their transgressions and kind to themselves. For more on willpower, check out this great talk by Kelly McGonigal, author of The willpower instinct. 6. Consider failureAnother wonderful strategy for making sure you stick to your goals is to take the time to consider how you will fail. It seems contradictory (surely we should be focusing on how we will succeed, right?!) but the research shows that spending time making a list of the biggest obstacle to your goals is more effective! The key is to be as specific as possible. How will you fail? What will you tell yourself? What will that feel like? When will it happen? But don't stop there! Take these insights and come up with a plan for how you will overcome them. Being mindful of how you fail is a powerful antidote to your procrastinations. 7. Plan ahead One of the greatest challenges with goal obtainment is getting past the part of our brain that wants to wrap us up in cotton wool, and 'protect' us from the possible pain, fear, discomfort or challenges that are an inevitable part of striving for our goals. Implementation intentions have proven extremely successful in circumventing this tendency. In a nutshell, they are pre-programmed set of responses to a given circumstance, i.e. If {this happens} then I will {do this}. For e.g.. ' If I am feeling tired and don't want to work, then I will go for a quick walk around the block'. It is determining the likely deterrents to goal achievement in advance and putting in place automated responses, so that the uncooperative part of your brain that will try to derail you doesn't have a chance to get a word in edgewise! And if all else fails... do it anyway! It's a simple one, but it's a goodie. If all else fails, just do it anyway, don't wait for the wings of desire to carry you away - just order yourself to get started! One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that they will magically feel 'more like it' later on. It's unlikely, so accept that you don't feel like it or that you are afraid of the outcome and start anyway. "If the wind will not serve, take to the oars." Latin proverb If you’d like to learn more you can sign up (on the right hand side of this page) to receive blog posts direct to your email. Alternatively, please click the little ‘like’ symbol below or subscribe to my RSS feed to receive regular material on how you can use the latest psychological research to dissolve your blocks to peak performance. Or, if you're ready to tackle your inhibitions to performance head on, contact me to discuss your options and arrange an appointment.
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