05/04/26
STORY
I rarely read a book.
I’m an auditory learner, so in most cases, I listen to books.
My Audible account is loaded with over 200 titles.
There was this one business book that came highly recommended that I really wanted to read.
It’s about the speaking business, so it’s very relevant to my work.
I looked for it on Audible, but of course, this book doesn’t have an audio version.
I ordered the book, it got delivered, then the hard part began:
How am I going to read a book when it’s not part of my normal routine?
I tried to read at night before bed, and it just wasn’t happening.
I’d fall asleep, be too tired, and I was making little progress.
It’s funny that I didn’t immediately apply the lessons I’ve learned over the years on habit-forming.
After reflecting on this, I came up with a new strategy.
Since my morning routine already has a few non-negotiables, including stretching, meditation, and visualization, I’d stack this new habit at the end of my existing routine.
To make it even stickier, I created a simple ritual.
Before I started my meditation, I lit a small candle.
I told myself that I cannot blow out the candle until I complete my meditation, visualization, and read at least one page of the book.
On weekdays when I wasn’t traveling, I’ve been sticking to this ritual.
I’m now 127 pages into the book (it’s called “The Referable Speaker” for anyone interested in building a speaking business – great book!).
The point is that when I tried to will myself to read before bed, I failed.
It was only when I created the system that I was able to commit.
James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits”, summed up this lesson in one powerful quote:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Stop trying to will yourself to commit to your goals.
If you’re not committing, it’s not a “motivation issue”; it’s a “systems issue”.
OBSERVATION
Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer studied why people fail to follow through on their intentions and found that those who linked a new behavior to an existing routine were two to three times more likely to succeed than those who relied on willpower alone. The takeaway: it was never a motivation problem. It was a design problem.
Gollwitzer, P. M., & Sheeran, P. (2006), “Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes.”
STRATEGY
Pick one new healthy habit you want to form this week.
It could be related to health, learning, setting boundaries…whatever is the top priority right now.
Choose to link that new habit with an existing routine.
Here are some examples:
– Before you brush your teeth
– After making your coffee
– Before opening your laptop
– After dropping the kids off at school
– Before your afternoon walk
– After doing the dishes
Create your system, and execute.
If you miss a day, don’t be hard on yourself; simply pick it up tomorrow.
If you’re not able to commit after several tries, then the system needs refining.
This week, focus on systems, not motivation.
Rooting for you,
Jay (inviting you to build reliable systems)
Global keynote speaker
Host of the “Unstuck” podcast
A distraught New York Mets fan (what’s happening???)