We often hear that motivation is key to habit change meaning if you really want it, you would be motivated to actually do it. But after finishing Atomic Habits by James Clear, I couldn't agree more to a surprising thing he said which goes -
The truth is, our true motivation is to be lazy and to do what is convenient. It is human nature to follow the law of least effort... People are wired to do what is convenient and easy... Among all possible actions, the one that is realized is the one that brings the most value for the least amount of effort... We are motivated to do what is easy. 😅
So true for me especially when it comes to exercise! 🙈
I only do physical activities which are convenient and easy, and I enjoy doing (translation: swimming, brisk-walking, stretching and 1-minute planks 😂). And I only do anywhere from 15 mins to 1 hour a day so I do not strain my muscles too much. You know why? Because if I over-workout, there is a risk that I may come up with an excuse that my body still needs to recover from the previous day's workout so I have to skip until my body fully recovers (or more like until I feel like doing it again).🙊😂 I know myself too well to know what kind of lame justifications I would make just to skip working out. 🙈😂 When you're self-aware and admit what's wrong with you, it's easier to design fool-proof plans that are harder to break. 😜
I know "easy and convenient" for an exercise may make one sound like an underachiever (ahem...) but guess what? According to Atomic Habits, the more energy required, the least likely it will occur.
For example, if you do 100 pushups a day, in the beginning when you are excited, you could probably do that but after a while, it may feel exhausting, Clear said. But if you were to do just a few pushups a day which require very little effort, it is most likely you’ll do it again. Make your habits easy and convenient so that you will do them even if you don't feel like doing them, Clear advised.
In short, it's better to start with small habits which you can sustain versus immediately doing difficult ones which you'll end up avoiding or giving up because they feel like a chore or challenge. The secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like it’s work or before it feels like it’s a hassle, Clear said. See, my underachiever exercise level makes sense after all. 😂
You still don't believe that we are wired to do what is easy and convenient? Think about your current daily habits - browsing through social media feeds, playing games, watching random videos - most of them are habits that require very little energy or almost no effort. 😎 But in my case, I don't do any of these coz I'd rather do the ultimate easy and convenient habit if I'm already done for the day which is - <drum roll> - sleep! 😂
