what varies and what stays
I've been struggling to get things done recently, and I've been thinking a lot about what types of behaviours and conclusions degrade or persist as days pass. Committing to things - especially on a daily basis - is hard because we behave differently based on fluctuating emotional states. Emotionally charged commitments lose intensity over time, outlooks change, and we become motivated by other things. Relying solely on motivation is particularly problematic; in my experience, it trains you to depend on it and limits the breadth of possible actions one can take in a given time period -after all, one can only be motivated toward one thing at a time.
For now, the following have proven to persist, stay consistent, or improve within me:
Intuition of what is 'wrong'
- If I ask myself the percentage of a given action being dysfunctional and/or problematic, my own estimates tend to correlate well with actual outcomes. I find it specifically useful to frame this as a choice between the percentage given or its inverse.
Fixed modifications to environment
- This is more obvious, but if you are constrained long-term within a physical or virtual space, designing it to require less willpower is beneficial. Beware, though, that it is equally important (if not more so) to build the smaller habits that allow for keeping the system in check. Having a system that minimizes decisions without sacrificing reliability frees mental space and reduces worry.
A third element is habits that aren't seen as choices, but as realities of life. Over the last three months, I have trained myself to nap exclusively on a thin tatami mat and only sleep in my bed at night. I don't see napping in bed as an option, and I am completely comfortable with that. I think the strength of the resolve and being comfortable with the detachment plays a part in this.
I plan to experiment more with this topic, but these are my thoughts on it for now.