WEEK 31: IMPLEMENTATION INTENTION

DPA = Discover, Pursue, and Achieve. WT = Waiting Time. DT = Development Time.

PLANNING (task, scheduling, and WT = DT):  This week I plan to post in Medium and find 5 other writers that use the same Tags in their published work on Wednesday at 5:30 in the study. I have uploaded videos from the The Foundation to turn WT = DT.  I plan to turn those small WTs into Grateful Time, where I look to see what I can be grateful for in those situations. For example, last week I thought how great it was to have a car, how it makes life easier to get things done while I was getting gas.

EXECUTION (strategies used):   I was able to EXECUTE and complete the weekly tasks as scheduled. No new strategies to share this week, but I am noticing that although I incorporate each strategy, some are used more than others depending on what comes up. For example, I relied heavily on Got 2-Minutes strategy, as I did not complete the whole task in one sitting but rather in small intervals of times that I had open this week. The core strategies that were used are listed below and are divided into groups that help you overcome obstacles and the  I CAN'T statements that usually arise with them.

MOTIVATION: I CAN'T find the energy or reasons to...

1. Equal Odds Rule: This strategy I learned from James Clear and this strategy was actually coined by a Harvard-trained phycologist Kevin Simonton. He researched the impact of scientific publications and the effect on its readers. Keith found that any given scientist could write a game-changing publication or an average one that could be easy forgotten. James went further and made the connection that you could be an artist, teacher, lawyer, athlete, or the average Joe schmo like you and me, and we are all equally likely to produce a great piece of work or an average one. Essentially the only determining factor is frequency. What do I mean by this? The more you create, the more likely you will produce a great piece of work. Why? Well, if you think about it the more that you produce, in whatever area that you work in, the more chances you get to creating an excellent piece of work. The higher number of attempts allows you to produce more average pieces, that might be easily forgotten,but you are also able to learn more skills from this increased production. This in turn, increases the probability that you produce a great piece of work. In simple terms, the more you create, the more likely you will create an excellent piece of work. 

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

FEAR: I CAN'T because it is not perfect, that is not how I thought it might go, or I do not have the skill or resources to.....

4. CVFA: This strategy really helped me be aware and release judgement if things do not turn our a certain way. I learned this strategy from Tony Robbins and the initialism for the strategy is CVFA. In this strategy you stay Committed to your Vision, but are Flexible with the Approach. This comes in handy when you plan do complete a certain action earlier in the week, but have to complete something else to meet a pressing deadline. As long as the new task allows you to be Committed to your Vision, then you can be Flexible with your Approach. Don't beat yourself up, and try to control everything to the point that you get frustrated. Take a breath and think if the task still helps you be Committed to your Vision, if so, then be Flexible with the Approach. If not, then stay committed to your original plan.

LACK of CONFIDENCE: I CAN'T because I am not  a person that can...

5. Agreements: I was able to learn about this powerful strategy from Jack Canfield called agreements. In this strategy you keep and fulfill all of your agreements. By doing this, you boost self confidence and you slowly prove to yourself that you are a person that is able to complete whatever you agree to. This in turn, allows you to take on more challenging tasks, as you have trained the subconscious mind that you are able capable of such endeavors. My suggestion is to first start small, prove to yourself by consistently completing easy actions that you have agreed to. Second, only commit to things that you know that you will be able to complete. After you have proven to yourself that you can keep your agreements and your confidence grows, take the opportunity to agree to more challenging tasks on the process of discovering, pursuing, and achieving your dreams.

PROCRASTINATION: I CAN'T because I do not have enough time, do not feel like it...

6. The Enkrateia strategy: Enkrateia is the antonym of Akrasia and means "in control of oneself"  and I learned this from James Clear. This involves three strategies in one to combat Akrasia, or simply put procrastination. 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.  

7. Early Scheduling = Implementation 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. I learned this from James Clear and it improves the likelihood that you will follow through on your goals up to 3X what you normally would do. 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. 

8. 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 start! 

REFLECTIONS (learnings and actions): Week 31 in the books and I was able to complete the weekly task on the scheduled time. I remember in the first couple weeks of my DPA process when I was continually frustrated, as I did not get the weekly task done earlier on in the week. This led me to research and learn about the Implementation Intention strategy. I was able to complete my weekly tasks on a more consistent basis and follow through just by identifying what task I would complete, when I would complete it, and where. This is the format that I have now included in my PLANNING section. 

I plan to [WHAT or specific task] on [WHEN or day] at [WHEN or time] in the [WHERE or location]. 

Often times, new habits are created and then you hit your first situation that tests if you will follow through or not. For example, I really struggled with overeating before my DPA process this year. I would get in great shape over the span of a month by eating healthier and exercising. I would then be presented with a test and would fail miserably, which would then cause me to get out of shape even more. The test would usually be in the form of being invited to one of my favorite restaurants. I would go knowing that I had created this great momentum and tell myself that I will eat well while I was there. Then I get to the restaurant and actually do well and by ordering water as my friends order a first round of drinks and appetizers. Even when the appetizers come out, I do not cave under pressure, but know that it is getting harder and harder to resist. My friends would tell me that it will only be one bite, and I would still decline a couple more times, until I would cave underneath the pressure.  The first bite would taste so good and then I would tell myself "Well, if I have already lost, why not go off the deep end?" 

What ensues is would be me taking a couple of bites of everything and ordering all the healthy...unhealthy items off the menu that I would normally order. Although this would leave me feeling satisfied in the moment, I would later feel frustrated and berate myself over the fact that I broke down and did not follow through. Anyone been here before? I have, many times. Now, why is that we can create all this momentum with new habits and then in one quick step you cave under pressure? 

Answer, you did not have a PLAN. When we get into situations that cause stress or boredom, we often fail to follow through on our new found habits and fall back into bad ones, ie over eating. Think about  the last time you knew that you were going to be in a situation that tested your will power, did you succeed or fail? I would say that for me I usually have failed more than I have succeeded. Again, this goes back to the idea that I did not have a PLAN. More specifically, I did not have a specific plan. 

With the Implementation Intention strategy, forces you to identify the WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE of your actions in advance. This in turn helps you follow through on your goals up to twice, or even three times as much as you normally would.

This week, I realized that I only use Implementation Intentions with planning my weekly task. I did not think to put this strategy to use in all areas of my life that would put me in positions that would test my new hard earned habits. Especially the ones that would drain my will power by causing me stress, or leaving me bored.

I now know that if I am headed into a situation where I will be faced with a difficult challenge, I need to have a SPECIFIC PLAN, or create an Implementation Intention. Going back to my overeating example, if I know that I will be going out with friends to a restaurant where I usually overindulge, I will decide WHAT I will eat in advance and have a contingency in place if the first option is not available. In this case the WHEN and WHERE are already taken care of, but just by identifying WHAT I will eat in advance to meet my new healthy eating habits will help me conserve will power. This way I do not drain my will power as I have already committed to actions that will help me follow through on my goal of eating healthier. 

Of course, having the PLAN is the first part, and as you saw from last weeks post, executing this plan is the other. If done in succession, you train the subconscious mind that you can overcome difficult situations and are able to achieve anything that you set out to do. Think of it as your killer jab, upper cut combo to knockout your bad habits.

Thanks for tuning in and see you in week 32!