IMPLEMENTATION (strategies used): The task was actually completed in three separate days this week, but it still was completed by Friday. I was able to use my staple strategies from previous weeks and was able to learn three more strategies wrapped in one to help me complete the task. As always, the new strategies are placed at the top of the list.
1. The Enkrateia strategy: This is a strategy was actually coined by Aristotle and of course I learned this from James Clear. Why is that we make plans, but often times do not follow through? This is caused between the tension the brain has in making decisions for the future and present self. It is easy for the brain to make plans to benefit the future self, but when it comes time to actually make a decision in the present moment the brain most likely chooses the path of less resistance, or the choice that provides instant gratification. For example, you plan to benefit the future self by planning to only eat vegetables and a small portion of lean protein before you go out to eat, but then once at the restaurant, you order an appetizer, a mixed drink, and fried food as this offers instant gratification for you present self. This problem in making plans to benefit your future self, but not being able to follow through in the present moment is called Akrasia.
Enkrateia is the antonym of Akrasia and means "in control of oneself." This involves three strategies in one to combat Akrasia. First, create a Commitment Device, which increases the consequences of a bad behavior and decreases the effort to carry out a good one. For example, to eat less sugar, you can clear out all candies in your house, which reduces the effort to not eat sugar at home. Second, incorporate the 2-minute rule to initiate tasks, as the hardest part of following through is getting started. Third, utilize implementation intentions, or identify a [date] at certain [time] at a specific [place] to complete a task. By incorporating this you will be 2X to 3X more likely to follow through on what you planned.
2. Early Scheduling = Implementatioon Intentions: This is a strategy that I was incorporating during my streak of completing my tasks on time, and it was a huge benefit this week. In this strategy, you first PLAN to complete a task and then SCHEDULE a time to complete the task as early in the week as you can. Two benefits are produced from doing this. First, you get a sense of accomplishment if you complete the task in the beginning of the week at the scheduled time. In addition, it allows you to devout more time to do additional tasks to reach your goals within the same week. Second, it provides more time to complete the task if life presents you with something that needs to be attended to during the original scheduled time.
3. Seinfeld strategy: I learned the Seinfeld strategy that from James Clear. It is called this because a young comedian once asked Jerry Seinfeld how to become a "better comedian." Jerry said take a huge calendar and place a big X for everyday that you write jokes, and if you can place an X for every day of the year, then you will become a better comedian. This strategy makes your progress visible and provides additional motivation to continue the streak of completing weekly tasks that move you towards your goals for the year.
4. 3-Bucket System: I learned the 3-Bucket system from Jeff Goins who breaks up the process of writing into three easy steps. First, create a place (physical or digital) where you can collect ideas. Second, schedule a time to draft the first version without the pressure of making edits. Third, edit your draft after you have taken time away from it. This process makes writing much easier and I find myself producing better writing in a shorter amount of time.
5. Got 2-minutes: I learned the 2-minute rule from James Clear and it helps you initiate a task, as usually this is the most difficult step. This strategy helps you focus on what you would do in the first 2 minutes of starting a task and then complete those actions. I often times do this and then look up at the clock and see that I have been working for well over 2 minutes. I have now merged this with the "Got a Minute" strategy, which is used to turn any amount of free time into productive time. It comes from Vierordt's Law, which states that when estimating a previous task, people overestimate short durations and underestimate long ones. Simply, we regularly overestimate how long it will take to accomplish meaningful tasks. task. Often times they can be accomplished in a short amount of time. So don't judge if you will start something by how time you think you have, just star!
REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions):
I had three main learnings this week and the first connects to me identifying the professionals that will help me "become a pro." Tony Robbins, a world renown life success coach, and Jack Canfield, author of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books, both mentioned that success leaves clues. The best strategy to follow is to emulate the actions of those that have done what you want to do. At the start of the process of writing this book, I searched for professionals that had done exactly that. That led me to Chandler Bolt's self-publishing site. There are many modules from authors that have written books from various genres. I have gained so much valuable information from the site and it is clear now, as you have probably noticed in my weekly posts, that James Clear is clearly a professional I would like to be like. In addition, Tim Ferris is another person that I continually get resources from. This was a huge breakthrough for me this week and it occurred in two specific moments. First, it dawned on me after listening to Tim Ferris' podcast fro four straight days in my morning sessions. Second, I was reading an article by James Clear in a coffee shop while waiting for food. This knowledge actually helps me become more efficient at finding strategies, as now I know exactly where to go.
I mentioned the strategy of Enkrateia above and it is the opposite of Akrasia, or in simple terms procrastination. It is easy for us to say and even plan that we will devote the time to provide benefits for your future self, but the difficult part is to put foot to pavement and actually complete the tasks in the present moment. In week one and two it was easy to plan and commit to the process of discovering, pursuing, and achieving my dream, but the difficult part was decide to show up every week, no matter the circumstances. The key learning I have now gained is that planning for our future selves is easy, but the difficult and most important thing is to follow through on those decisions on a weekly basis. It is hard to believe, but 23 weeks ago, I had little knowledge of Akrasia or even the Enkrateia strategies to help me overcome it. Although, it was not the easy in certain weeks to plan for my future self and FOLLOWING THROUGH, but because I have, it has allowed me to learn new strategies to reduce the effort to complete the weekly tasks, so that I can help anyone looking to follow their discover, pursue, and achieve their dreams.
Lastly, I wanted to share a quick trick to cultivate more gratitude in your life. Replace the phrase HAVE TO to GET TO. This simple trick can foster transformational changes in how you see life. For example, Megan and I work from 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM everyday, and then we come home to an energetic son that needs to be fed, bathed, read to, in addition to cooking dinner and other errands that need to be done. In previous weeks, I saw buying groceries and cooking as a non-favorable task, but after this week I saw those as an opportunity to do something I enjoy for my wife and son. It will take some time before you see everything as an opportunity, but it worth trying this week to slowly cultivate more gratitude in your life.
Thanks for tuning in and see you in week 24.
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