We are what we repeatedly do - Aristole
The % of people who finish a Spanish course on Duolingo is 0.01%. 1 in 10,000! The completion % of online courses is less than 13%. In short, Humans give up. A lot. At most things.
When we start anything new, be that a hobby, a sport, a skill, we are first acting on motivation alone. Dopamine is flooding the brain due to the initial excitement and things seem fun and easy. And then the initial motivation fades away (always) and here most give up.
Humans are a peculiar species. We pick up a guitar, have three lessons, find it difficult and because we can’t perform like Hendrix yet, we put the guitar in the attic to collect dust. We compare ourselves to somebody that has done 500 lessons and put in 5000 hours of practice.
Why?
1. Too focussed on the outcome, not the process
2. No system for showing up every day
Seinfeld's 'Don't Break the Chain' is a method you can use to fall in love with the process AND make sure you show up every day.
It’s also the tracking method I include as part of the Morning Routine Habit Tracker.
Hang a 2023 calendar on the wall and mark the day with an X when you have done what you said you would do. Your only job is to not break the chain of X's.
“Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.”
The visual aid of seeing those crosses encouraged Jerry to write every day. He had to, otherwise his chain would break. The quality of the writing was not as important as writing something every day.
This 'Don't Break the Chain' system creates momentum and gets you 1 step closer to habit automaticity. And if you do miss a day, you will always be reminded of the day that you broke your chain (or gave up entirely).
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad star: “Early in my career, I was always hustling. Then [his mentor] suggested I focus on process rather than outcome. If I attached to the outcome, I was setting myself up to expect, and fail”
Whether it’s the Seinfeld method or another accountability system, you need to show up when the motivation fades away. And when your chain is weeks long, you have the added satisfaction knowing most people that started have already given up.