A Return to Great Habits
Reconnecting with what really matters can be made easier by using pleasure as an incentive..
Key Points
- The enthusiasm that ignites a "launch" often diminishes once its excitement fades or life disrupts our intentions.
- Life’s unavoidable interruptions can be difficult to bounce back from when we interpret them as evidence of defeat.
- Positive behaviors can be started and maintained more easily when an enjoyable environment is created, especially when motivation is low. .
There's an unmistakable charm in a renewed beginning. We experience it at the commencement of a new year but also in various other instances: a fresh week, a birthday, the first day back after a break, or any significant occasion that convinces us a previous chapter has ended. Scholars have termed this the fresh start phenomenon, the inclination for temporal markers to render our goals feel more attainable. In these moments, the blank canvas appears genuine, and starting over can evoke a sense of revitalization. Psychology Today's recent cover article,
"The Most Effective Ways to Start Anew," beautifully delves into this contrast, asserting that starting anew can be beneficial precisely because it invites us to embrace the vulnerability of being inexperienced. Fresh experiences can invigorate us. The state of being a novice can broaden our horizons. Our initial efforts can serve as reminders of our capacity for transformation. However, the very attributes that render a start potent also render it delicate. Being inexperienced usually means having to put up with mistakes, awkwardness, and uncertainty long enough for the experience to become meaningful. When the novelty wears off, our initial plan might not work if the pursuit deviates from our expectations or if life takes a different turn than we had anticipated.
The Aftermath of a Failed Plan
Numerous years contemplating behavior change precisely where most advice tends to falter: when our noble intentions clash with reality . how we narrate our experiences after missing a day, how we determine whether something still holds value, and how we simplify the process of returning without labeling the entire experience as a judgment on our identity. In our discussion, a day so packed that you miss your chance to shower. Hardly anyone in that scenario would convince themselves they're "incompetent at showering." You wouldn’t go purchase a shower diary, hire a shower mentor, and commit to reshaping your life next month. You simply take a shower the following day. This insight is enlightening because it underscores how harshly we can judge ourselves when our plans unravel. We skip a workout, and we treat the absence of exercise as proof of failure. We can’t write for a week, and the pause morphs into a perceived flaw. We drift from a cherished hobby, and the thought of resuming it starts to feel more daunting than moving on.
A pivotal design question, therefore, is whether the activity we are attempting to sustain offers a favorable reintegration route. The trajectory of a plan encompasses not just logistical aspects but also emotional ones. Even with clear next steps, the endeavor becomes increasingly challenging to approach when associated with actual or perceived shortcomings. Incorporating Enjoyment into the Design Regrettably, when it comes to motivation, enjoyment is often considered a secondary concern. We emphasize discipline, encourage ourselves or our clients and patients to trust the journey, and assume that the eventual outcome will suffice to keep us engaged. However, if the sole driving force urging us back is obligation or future gain, trying again becomes unnecessarily cumbersome. When the journey itself is pleasurable, the likelihood of returning increases. What does this actually look like? It might manifest as the contagious energy of a group exercise class; the gratification from early, visible accomplishments; or crafting an enjoyable routine (e.g., listening to a favorite audiobook while working). . These may be minor design decisions, yet research indicates they are significant as they enhance the appeal of the activity Experiencing pleasure early is crucial because many valuable endeavors do not provide substantial rewards initially. Early advancements tend to be fluctuating. Our first endeavors can appear awkward. The first setback has significant power if the only reward is far off.
In this sense, a little instant gratification does not make our endeavors superficial; rather, it increases their chances of succeeding in the face of real-world difficulties.
Enjoyment and Effort Do Not Conflict
This is a crucial clarification because enjoyment is sometimes falsely perceived as being the antithesis of effort. Many of the most significant forms of pleasure genuinely demand effort. Mastering a skill, enhancing strength, or engaging in a challenging activity can be profoundly enjoyable, even if it’s not straightforward. In my own endeavors, I regard these as vibrant activities: high-effort, high-reward efforts that make us feel more involved.
The fact that these jobs need something from us is not the problem. . In fact, that’s often part of what renders them fulfilling. The problem arises when we remove everything that imbued the task with vitality and then expect discipline to manage everything. A hike that once brought us joy becomes something we only do for the count of steps. A creative pursuit we once cherished morphs into something we do merely for results or recognition. The endeavor may still be “beneficial for us,” but the internal joy and intrinsic drive begin to fade. Once that occurs, re-engaging after a hiatus becomes more challenging, as we’re no longer returning to an experience. Instead, we find ourselves going back to a standard.
Contrary to some beliefs, crafting for enjoyment is not synonymous with making things simple. It’s about maintaining enough pleasure, curiosity, connection, and/or playfulness within the endeavor so that it remains psychologically accessible. The enjoyment doesn’t have to be extravagant. It just needs to be sufficiently present that the activity offers some return before the long-term benefits manifest.
Enjoyment Rejuvenates Us
When we are already battling the resistance of starting anew, the last thing we need is additional unpleasantness. Sometimes this entails returning to the aspect of the activity that we genuinely love. At times, it means rekindling the social elements of the experience. Occasionally, it permits the initial return to be imperfect yet enjoyable.
Our re-engagement with something meaningful is unlikely to be its finest form. It may feel awkward, slower, rustier, or less fulfilling than we recall. However, if the aim is to rejoin rather than to excel, that does not signify a failure in the process. It is the process itself. Fresh beginnings allow us to envision an improved version of ourselves, and that’s part of their allure. Yet, if we require a fresh start each time life intervenes, the framework is too delicate. A more resilient approach is to develop activities that don’t necessitate a clean slate to resume.
That might represent one of the most pragmatic applications of designing for enjoyment: Enjoyment provides us with a reason to return before we feel entirely prepared. The objective isn’t to create a life where nothing is ever interrupted. The aim is to construct a life where the things that matter to us have effective systems for drawing us back.
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