Focus on Intrinsic Motivation to Form New Habits More Effectively
When you decide to go to the gym, are you doing it because you have to, or because you enjoy exercising? If you just force yourself to do it for the reward, it can be counterproductive.
As the advice site Afford Anything explains, there are two types of motivation you can use to achieve your goal: internal and external. Extrinsic motivation is when you hate to do something, but you have an external reason for doing it. You don’t like exercise, but you want to lose weight, so you are reluctant to force yourself to exercise. However, intrinsic motivation arises when you go to the gym simply because you are enjoying the thrill of your workout:
Research shows (and exercise enthusiasts know) that exercise has inherent benefits: less stress, more endorphins, and better sleep. But if you’re interested in a scale, you might be missing out on these intrinsic benefits. You have reimagined exercise as a means to an end, a means of delivering results, and not as an activity designed for pleasure in itself.
You approached this with a result-oriented mindset (“what can I get out of this?”), Not an intrinsically motivated mindset (“do I like this?”). Ironically, you are less likely to achieve and sustain results in the long run.
Intrinsic motivation is more likely to change your habits because you don’t need an excuse to work on your habit. You don’t need an excuse to eat healthy foods if you are eating healthy foods that you enjoy. You don’t need a workout reminder app if you look forward to it every day.
Extrinsic motivation can also be counterproductive. As the website explains, if you choose to “reward” yourself for doing something productive with something fun, you are confirming that being productive is not enjoyable. Instead, teach yourself that working on projects or being healthy is worth it, regardless of external reward.
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