Sometimes, even after applying the techniques to maximize motivation and ability and constructing triggers, we still have difficulty. When this happens we have two powerful tools at our disposal.
Accountability is extremely powerful because it taps into your desire to not let others down.
I know I would be way less likely to hit my strength goals if I didn’t have my trainer. I know he’s going to show up on Zoom at noon on Thursday. I know he’s texting during the week to see how things are going. Even when I don’t want to show up, I have to.
Often that’s all you need for accountability - you don’t need someone to actually hold your feet to the fire - simply to know that they’re going to be in the same place and same time as you.
There are platforms online that allow you schedule a focus session with someone else - if you have difficulty getting your MVT habit in place, you could do this.
If you want to make more progress on a project at work, you can set more aggressive deadlines with yourself and commit to your boss or a peer.
Northwestern professor Dean Karlan did research into goal setting and found that creating a “commitment contract” can be incredibly powerful as a motivator. The secret is to attach stakes, punitive consequences for not accomplishing it.
His most famous example - a weight loss challenge where participants agreed to lose 1.5 pounds per week or forfeit 50% of their annual salary.
Karlan found adding a person who monitors and checks in on your progress doubles the likelihood of completion, and adding financial stakes can increase it up to 3x.