You’re Wasting Time With Willpower and Motivation
We all have goals and we all want to reach them, right?
Yes, we have to gain better habits in order to have long-term change. If you want short-term changes that don’t last, then maybe quick fixes are for you.
But we all know that long-term changes are better. So how do we exactly start gaining better habits?
Enter: Implementation Intention
In other words, get specific.
In a 2001 study, researchers in Great Britain wanted to compare two different approaches to gain better exercise habits. One approach was based on the protection motivation theory, more known as just relying on motivation (PMT, Rogers, 1975, 1983) and the other one was based on implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1993).
The study was over the course of 2 weeks with 248 participants divided into three groups. The first group was instructed to track how often they exercised. The second group was instructed to track as well as educate themselves on the benefits of exercising. The third group was also instructed to track and educate themselves on the benefits of exercising, but also formulate a plan of action for when and where they would exercise over the following week by completing the following sentence:
During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].
The results?
Only 35%-38% of the first group (only tracked) and the second group (tracked and given motivational presentation) exercised at least once per week. On another note, a whopping 91% of the third group (tracked, given a motivational presentation, and organized a plan of action for their exercise routine) exercised at least once per week, more than double the rate of the first and second group.
According to the study, the motivational resources did not have an impact or increased exercise behavior in the second group. In contrast, the combination of protection motivation theory/implementation intention intervention (formulating plan of action) in the third group had a dramatic effect on subsequent exercise behavior.
So what now?
We all have a sense of motivation, meaning, we have desires and goals. But why can’t it be enough? WHY are we still not able to accomplish our goals?
Yes because motivation isn’t enough. But why? Because we don’t have a solid plan of action. Hence why there were more successful participants from the third group that incorporated implementation intention and not just rely on motivation.
The way implementation intention works is:
Think of a situation then plan what you will do after that situation occurs.
For instance, stress-induced eating has been found to lead to weight-gain (Koenders & Strien, 2011). This study examined two groups where they both had to two write in two columns:
Column 1: List stressful situations that have led to negative emotions
Column 2: List a healthy snack that you enjoy and is available during that stressful situation
Only ONE of the groups completed the final task which was to visualize themselves acting out the behavior of choosing that healthy snack when in that stressful situation. The group that didn’t complete this task was more likely to reach an unhealthy snack during the stressful situation.
The reason why this implementation intention strategy works is because it helps you get really specific and it provides clarity on what you’re going to do when you’re in that situation. It’s being clear on what you’re going to do. You pretty much just fill out the blanks below:
“When situation ______ happens, I will perform _______.”
When I’m about to grab my phone to scroll away, I will grab my water bottle, instead.
When I’m having a hard time sleeping, I will get up and walk around my room for 10 minutes then go back to bed.
When I get home from work, I’ll pack my workout clothes in my gym bag and set my bag by my door for tomorrow.
You can even get more specific by including- I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]
I will drink water before I have my coffee in the kitchen.
I will do yoga for 15 minutes after brushing my teeth in the morning in my family room.
TAKEAWAY:
When you’re struggling to get things done, it’s not because you’re lacking motivation or the desire to do it, it’s because you don’t have a clear, set plan of action to do it. In case you didn’t notice, this plan of action does not have to be so grand. Because you have to be specific, the plan of action comes off as small tasks. However, small tasks have been shown to lead to progress and long-lasting results.
Did you enjoy this? Sign up for my newsletter for more content like this. I’ll be going over more on implementation intentions, what to do when something gets in the way of your plan and how to have a backup plan, procrastination, and more. Plus, get my FREE nutrition guide for fat loss and strength goals that you can easily follow and apply to your fitness journey.
