Dopamine.
One experiences it in waves as shown in the graph.
I particularly like this phrase from Atomic Habits: “It’s is the anticipation of a reward — not the fulfilment of it — that gets us to take action.
Think…
- Your next meal!
- TGIF!
- Mahjong (Swimming on land)!
In the formation of a habit, it’s important to make your cues Attractive.
I know of many who paste posters of their desired outcomes/vision of people possessing six-packs to keep to an exercising regime, print quotes on their work desks to remind them of why they show up to work, and even having a cheque of a million earmarked for withdrawal before a certain age to lead their desired retirement lifestyle.
The concept shared in the book is Temptation Building where one can make a habit attractive when by paring an action (wants), with an action that (needs) to be done.
So for example.. If you want to get back to studying but cannot find the motivation, a simple application of the strategy will look like this :
- After I switch on my computer, I will summarize a chapter from my reading materials to prepare for the new school term (need)
- After I finish my summary, I will watch Netflix (want)
Have fun experimenting with this simple strategy!