Do you ever get this feeling? You start up your computer, go over to your daily tasks, and you think to yourself: is this really what I want to be doing?
The more we complete a habit, the more likely it stays consistent; but at what cost? The joy you once felt for a passion project could become a chore, an obligation to which you feel no attachment to. The culture we live in pushes the concept of hustle. Keep working and you will get there. This is not so easy for everybody; people get bored of what they are pursuing, and wonder if the task is even worth their time, which could be spent on something else.
I felt this recently with the progression of my French learning. I would wake up, do my workout and exercise, and then I would begin some French learning. I have consistently done the habit for the past 40-50 days, and now I find myself being obligated to do so; to not break the streak.
I turn to the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. In the book, Clear states the four fundamental principles to making habits successful in the long run.
Make them:
Obvious
Attractive
Easy
Satisfying
Upon reflection of this, I realised my satisfaction for the habit had dwindled to nothing. Duolingo is obvious and easy, but it lacks the attractiveness and satisfactory feeling I so desperately need.
Luckily, this does not mean I give up on the habit. It just needs to be rewired. For example, to make the habit of French education more attractive, I could use the site through another format, such as on another device, or other applications (tiny cards). This would reduce the imprinted image of the learning tree, and the pesky owl, from my brain; making the task less mundane. I could fix the satisfying issue of dullingo with attaching some sort of reward for completing each area of my daily learning; having one bit of chocolate or some kind of treat, could help ignite this. Overall, this would revive the lost ambition I have for the site.
Now onto you, what could you change in your life to make your tasks more rewarding and less dull? If I can do it, so can you 🙂
From My View 