“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes…but no plans.”

Peter Drucker

Motivation Starts. Commitment Finishes

Commitment is doing what you said you would do long after the motivation that started you on the path has passed.

Could you imagine if we accomplished all the goals we committed to while feeling motivated? We would achieve the life of our dreams. Why is it so difficult to follow through with something that we know is good for us? Is resistance really that strong? This past year, I finally put a stop to reading self-improvement books. They are great for learning the basics for a better life, but they will never do the work required for you. It’s gotta be you.

Different strategies work for different people, but the way to finally commit to your goals is to make a strategic plan. Occasionally, you’ll read something that inspires you, and you implement that strategy for the rest of the day. Slowly, you will fall back to your old routines, and the inspiration will have run its course.

Focus on One Weakness at a Time

The areas of your life that need a strategic plan most are the ones in which you are weak. If eating sweets is your weakness, then focus a strategic plan solely on eating sweets and pour all your resources into it. A significant fault when making changes in your life is that you are motivated to take big swings and accomplish everything at once in the moment of inspiration. This isn’t sustainable. If you try to change every aspect of your life, you will achieve nothing.

Once you are locked in on the one area of weakness and your plan is in place to make the change, track the habit meticulously. Zero in on the times when you usually reach for dessert and set reminders on your phone to remind you not to give in. Throw away anything that can make you relapse; throw the kitchen sink at the problem. After a couple of days, it slowly becomes more manageable, and moments in the past where you would have relapsed are now avoided through planning. When this new positive action becomes a habit requiring minimal resources, we can move on to the next thing. Only move on to a new goal once the previous one is accomplished.

Don’t Break the Chain

The comedian Jerry Seinfeld had a ritual that has been my favorite to implement into my habit-forming plans. He would mark an X on his calendar every day he wrote a joke and focused his energy on not breaking the chain and keeping the streak alive. I use the ‘keep the streak alive’ strategy because it’s easy to skip a workout when you haven’t worked out in 3 weeks. When you’ve worked out for 30 days in a row, you will push yourself to keep the streak alive, so you don’t have to start it over. I implement this strategy for the positive habits I want to implement. I am keeping the streak alive by closing my activity circles on my Apple Watch and tracking my calories daily. A previous goal that became a habit by keeping the streak alive was reading for 30 minutes every day. Initially, I would squeeze in 30 minutes before bed to keep my streak alive, but now that it’s become a habit, I insert a 30-minute reading window into my daily schedule and accomplish it without any issues.

Strategy Beats Willpower

Whatever goals you want to accomplish or good habits you wish to implement, the most important part is using a strategy. Willpower is finite, and trying to muscle through every problem will leave you burned out and farther behind than when you started. Be wise in improving your life, and the results will come. I’d love to hear about your strategies and experiences with trying to maintain positive habits.

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Book Ponder focuses on the incredible power of reading, and even though stand-alone articles like these are unique ideas, I like to credit any books that inspired or gave me the resources for the idea.