“Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.” ~James Clear
How to Follow Through With Your Goals
The punch line is clear: people who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through. Too many people try to change their habits without these basic details figured out. We tell ourselves, “I’m going to eat healthier” or “I’m going to write more,” but we never say when and where these habits are going to happen. We leave it up to chance and hope that we will “just remember to do it” or feel motivated at the right time. An implementation intention sweeps away foggy notions like “I want to work out more” or “I want to be more productive” or “I should vote” and transforms them into a concrete plan of action.
Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. It is not always obvious when and where to take action. Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement.
Once an implementation intention has been set, you don’t have to wait for inspiration to strike. Do I write a chapter today or not? Do I meditate this morning or at lunch? When the moment of action occurs, there is no need to make a decision. Simply follow your predetermined plan.
The simple way to apply this strategy to your habits is to fill out this sentence:
I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].
- I will meditate for one minute at 7 a.m. in my kitchen.
- I will study Spanish for twenty minutes at 6 p.m. in my bedroom.
- I will exercise for one hour at 5 p.m. in my local gym.
- I will make my partner a cup of tea at 8 a.m. in the kitchen.
Give your habits a time and a space to live in the world. The goal is to make the time and location so obvious that, with enough repetition, you get an urge to do the right thing at the right time, even if you can’t say why.
Read more at: JamesClear.com
Clarity | Eddie Pinero
- Please go back to the 7 Day Calmness Challenge [started last Saturday] and complete the entry for the day. You should be able to hit the gear icon on your comment to add to it but, if not, please just reply to your last message.
- Write your own implementation intention as the following: “I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION].” Put this in a place where you can review it weekly.
- Is there anything you need clarity on that you may have overlooked for too long? Is there something that you have clarity on NOW that you took too long to consider? Please share in the comments below.
Thank you!
Wow! I needed thus! I missed my 4/1 goal to start meditating
Well now, I will start upon waking, after my prayer in my room to meditate fir one minute
One day at a time, I will strive to increase the number of minutes but I will strive for a minute
Thanks so much!!!
Yes – meditating & prayer + exercise. All things I’ve strived to do regularly for years but have fallen short in the past. Now I am creating a life of intention through habits. I will start my day with 1% message followed by 3min meditation and prayer, 10 push-ups and a morning stretch – all complete before I start my work (before 7:30 or 8, depending on the day).
Day 1: Despite intention, I found myself letting the anxiety of others impact my sense of calm. Tomorrow I will practice deep breathing when/if outside influences or negative thoughts surface.
Day 2: Better today although not where I need to be. There were multiple opportunities to negatively impact my calm – 4 hour drive in traffic, etc… I practiced deep breathing…
Day 3: I will support my teenage children but will let them make their own mistakes and learn from them. I won’t let the need to “fix” their shortfalls impact my day of clam and peace. Easier said than done 🙂 but that is today’s mission
Day 4: I feel good about yesterday. I didn’t raise my voice, which is a big accomplishment for me.. and overall, had a positive calm day. Today I will continue with the practice of acceptance, living in the moment and not taking everything so serious. Deep breathing is key.
Day 5: Not the best day… try again tomorrow
Day 6: No stress day. I was successful at keeping calm and focused on being productive and positive.
Day 7: It’s been a good week, less stress and more enjoyment. Today I will deep breathe and focus on thankfulness.
hi, J like the phrase, “give your habits a time and a space in the day” , this is a very productive tool that I will use to keep clarity. I don’t have a problems with motivation but organizing my habits will really help me.
It took too long for me to accept that the past can’t change. I need to let people and events go.
I’ve set my own implementation intention several times. It works for a while but then life always seems to take over. I get stuck at work or my daughter’s practice schedule changed or there’s a game. Something always seems to break my consistency.
The last two days I’ve had some trouble when it comes to clarity. I missed some tasks I needed to get done, and instead just wasted my time on my phone. On this day off today, I’m going to work to get back on track with both my mindset and my productivity. In general though, the past few weeks I’ve had more mental awareness than ever before!
I believe the grief of messing up and accepting that it is in the past so I should instead look forward and try to set standards and goals with a predetermined plan to allow me to better achieve my goals.
This just reinforced the decision I made yesterday to add 1%Tribe to my daily plan. I am amazed at the payoff of making the decision and executing on it is showing up so quickly. It is clear that deciding is important. Now to hive it atime and place in my day.
Ever since I made the decision to change my diet, I have not taken the time and invested in understanding how to have the proper nutrition during the change. This information would help me make sure I am still getting all the vitamins and minerals I need. A place where I now have clarity is where I see my business going based on the type of clientele I am looking to serve in the my industry.
One thing i need clarity on is where to start on learning programming and how i can start to build my own programs, I have waited too long to start looking for this but i should start now.
I have clarity on why I should practice yoga and meditation. This took way too long for me to figure out (3 months). But at the end of the day, I know how important self care is now and practice it almost everyday. I will read at 8:00 PM in my bedroom before I sleep everyday.
Day 6: I can’t remember what happened I am sorry.
Day 7: I had a stressful day yet I stayed calm. I was running around so much and was on a flight by 6 and had to wake up at 3 am. Despite getting almost no sleep all through true day I still kept calm and helped others.
Great job Sidd! I’m glad you were able to stay calm and helpful despite such a busy day.