Habits

Great news for Our Common Cents! I've recently joined the Money Hacker Network, and that involves a certain level of commitment from me - that I will post new blog entries, at minimum, three times a week.

The good news - Writing allows me to express myself in a creative way, I'm enjoying the process and have plenty of ideas to share.

The not so good news - No more excuses when I lack the time to write due to hectic work schedules, business travel, personal time, or any number of excuses I've used this year.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous about making an official commitment. Through various report cards, progress reports, and performance reviews, I know my strengths - I am wonderful at generating ideas, gaining passion and starting a project with enthusiasm. Following through, on the other hand, not so much. If only there were a way to trick myself into changing that habit….

Thinking about change takes me back to my academic roots in psychology. Not the psychoanalytic variety (personally, I'm not too fond of psychos or analysis). No, my passion was motivation - motivation for change, driven by the belief that all people are capable of significant, lasting change in behavior. I still feel that way and have learned to approach myself with the same sense of optimism. From a scientific perspective, what prompts successful change in people? The jury is divided, but there are some common themes that can apply to just about everything, from starting a diet to following a budget to making time to write a blog:

1. Commit to your vision. Don't kid yourself that you want to do something if you really don't. Early in my career I worked at a weight loss chain and often asked people where their motivation for losing weight was coming from. The dieters motivated by a timeline or external focus, whether it was their high school reunion or their own wedding, didn't keep the weight off for the long term and rarely made it to their target weight. The only people who were successful were committed to changing and were internally driven.
   
   
2. Make it public. Don't ever underestimate the power of humiliation on accomplishing a task.
   
3. Find support. Yet another reason
   why Weight Watchers meetings are so successful. Perhaps you can accomplish 2 and 3 in one fell swoop if you find the right support group.
   
4. Be consistent. Studies have shown it takes approximately 21 days to form a habit. The science behind this is complicated - in a nutshell, that's about how long it takes to create neural patterns in the areas of the brain associated with habits, addiction, and procedural learning. Make it 30 days and the inertia you've created will be much easier to sustain than to revert back to your old ways.
   
5. Monitor progress. Self reflection is key in all areas of life. Winston Churchill said "People occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." Don't make a mistake just to give up. Make your
   mistakes useful and success will be even sweeter because you will not only have learned the path to your goal, but also the path that leads somewhere else.
   

   
   

   I'm making it a goal to write every day this month for at least an hour. I'll follow up (public commitment!) at the end of the month.