Well, the New Year is soon upon us and we'll be inundated with talk of resolutions, even though most resolutions are discarded within the first month of the new year. Why is it that some of what we think of as our best intentions do not happen? What are a few thoughts as to how you can make your goals become a reality for you? One strategy is to schedule your success.
I have spent weekend days saying how much I will get done and then find that I spent the time reading the newspaper, checking Facebook, going for a walk, until the day is gone. I thought that I had made a decision to get some work done. Alas, neuroscience tells us (and me!) that there is an illusory quality to the concept of "decision making". It is only an abstract object in our minds. As such, I never really experience the "weekend" but rather one moment after another. In each moment, I never directed myself behaviorally to take action. Other actions, as noted above, took precedence, were more comfortable, presented less resistance to me.
So when are we the most productive and follow through the most with our intentions? It is during those times which are scheduled. When you act based on a schedule, there is nothing better than the desired action. If I exercise at 7 AM every day, I don't have to think about what should I do or when should I do it. If you compare this to an intention to "exercise tomorrow", there is all manner of activity in which I can engage, e.g. drinking another cup of coffee, watching the TV news, etc. giving me resistance to my intention to exercise. When we think about decision making, note that if we have not created a clear, defined, and strong behavioral pattern to perform an action, it does not occur. This is particularly true when our intended action goes up against well developed patterns of coffee drinking, reading the newspaper, watching TV, etc. If you want to do a certain act, don't worry about "self discipline" or motivation. Schedule the act specifically, condition yourself to do it without fail, and after 21 days minimum it will become a habit like so many others we have.
I'm sure you've heard how most people spend more time planning and scheduling their vacation than other areas of their lives such as careers, family, finances, etc. You don't have to become a "time nut" to schedule your success. Just pick one or two goal areas important to you, perhaps exercise or improving your financial knowledge, and schedule regular times to do the activity. The time does not have to be excessive. In the examples I just gave, starting with 15 minutes a day per activity would be great if you're currently at zero time. Just schedule it and stay with it for three weeks, you're on your way.
Best wishes for your scheduled success.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com