To attain a long-term goal, whether writing a blog, going to the gym or learning a new language, we need to make it a habit instead of a New Year’s resolution. A habit will take you there without you trying hard; a resolution or a plan, despite the best intentions, will only keep you motivated for a short period. Personally, I find it hard to sustain momentum solely by willpower. Without changing my habits or blocking dedicated time in my diary, I always forget to work on my new goals, especially when already busy with other things. On the other hand, habits put me into autopilot mode to work towards my goals daily, even when I don’t feel motivated at all.
Willpower and discipline are admirable qualities. However, when used alone, they are not effective in counteracting the effect of dopamine - the hormone that drives much unconscious decision-making.
We need the ultimate reward - dopamine to keep working on our goals. It stimulates our brains and keeps us coming back for more. Using willpower to focus on something our brains do not desire is the opposite of how human brains work. It’s like swimming against the current. It’s hard.
Willpower is a limited resource, and it requires recharge daily. Making decisions requires cognitive resources, and making decisions with willpower is even more costly to our mental energy. With the limited supply, relying on discipline is not sustainable in the long run, especially when we already have a busy life. Habits, on the other hand, can put us into the autopilot model without us thinking about it.
Success is rarely achieved overnight. It takes time to see the progress. Without the support of good habits, it’s impossible to feel motivated every day without seeing tangible progress. The momentary rewards you get when reaching milestones are, in fact, only momentary. Imagine your goal is to publish articles on your website. After days of struggle, you finally published one, and you feel okay about it - it’s a small achievement in the grand scheme of things. Would the satisfaction from pushing a single article be enough to prod you into working even harder for the next one? If the brain anticipates that an activity is not rewarding, it won’t produce dopamine to trick our brain into telling us to try again. Without the desire, things lose their meaning.
A more accessible approach would be to write for 30 minutes immediately after waking up every day. Consider even rewarding yourself with a cup of coffee after the writing session. Suddenly, that doesn’t sound too hard.
This is how many prolific writers work.