Willpower Tips, Day 21 or 21. Keeping Behavior Consistent.

Congratulations to anyone who has read all the way through!

One the tips I’ve been actually using from this book is about keeping behavior consistent.

The times when I use this tip have mostly been about environment-related willpower challenges.

e.g.,

- scooping stuff into the rubbish vs. expending slightly more effort to put it in the compost bin
- wiping something with a cloth then rinsing out the cloth rather than using a paper towel.

When I get the urge to do goal-inconsistent behavior, I think to myself “Would I be happy to take this particular easier route everyday?”

For the above examples, the answer is No.

For some other examples, the answer is Yes, at least for the moment (e.g., using baking paper for cooking increases the chances of me cooking but I know it’s not environmentally friendly).

Aiming for keeping my behavior consistent has definitely reduced the times when I cheat on my willpower goals due to the Cognitive Distortion “I’ve been good previously, so it’s ok to do something goal-inconsistent now.”

Can you see you can combine a moderate approach and behavioral consistency?

Applying this to your meditation/exercise/yoga practice.

This approach could be applied to your meditation/exercise/yoga practice. Trying to do the same consistent amount each day is likely to increase the chance of you sticking at it. Choose an amount that you’re willing to do on a forever basis, and stick to the same consistent amount.

Programming Note

I’ll be on leave till April 15 so expect a break in blog posts.