One mistake that I find myself making is over-relying on sheer willpower.
The reality is that our willpower is finite.
Building habits are the vehicle to push us through when our willpower is depleted. It allows us to keep up the momentum.
I realize there’s irony in talking about habits and momentum, as this is the first time in 8 months where I’m sending out this newsletter late.
It is exactly when you miss a deadline- even an arbitrary one – that it is the most critical to restart that habit and build up some momentum again.
Momentum is what carries you through both the highs and lows, the good and the bad and everything in-between.
- Walking away from the fast twitch
There’s “urgent” and then there’s “important.” It is never been easier today to get sucked into all of the urgent tasks. The reality is it’s often the important tasks that are never urgent that build the most momentum and generate the biggest and best long-term results. - Feeling Stuck? Change your environment.
Ever feel stuck on a problem? Then, you take a walk or head to a coffee shop and suddenly you have a million ideas or possible solutions. That’s because changing even a small thing in your environment or routine is a way to get out of a rut or help you solve a problem that you previously couldn’t solve. - Daring Greatly
I recently reread Brene Brown’s book – “Daring Greatly.” I bet you are wondering what does a book about courage and vulnerability have to do with momentum? The reality is it has everything to do with this because without the courage to act when you may not be ready, you’ll never end up starting at all. - Fits and Starts
I love the analogy that Jason uses in this post comparing progress made with driving on a racetrack. The fastest way to complete a lap on a track is to go really fast when driving in a straight line and then to wait until the last possible moment to slow down at turns resulting in a lot of jerky motions. The same approach can be said for working on a project or in a team. It can feel unnatural at first but often the fastest way to make progress is to go really fast in bursts and then slow down and start back again when you encounter obstacles.
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