Momentum and how it is your best friend in achieving your goals.
Momentum has always been explained to me like this.
Picture a giant steam train stationary at the station. To get that big beast moving, you have to use an extremely large amount of energy. A huge amount of coal and fire and a team of hard working humans to get the thing to move an inch.
But as soon as it moves an inch, it gets easier and easier to move it forward. As it gains speed, it becomes almost unstoppable, when it finally hits it maximum speed, there is no brick wall or barrier that can stop it. Its built up such a huge amount of momentum that it is actually unstoppable.
For me, I always learned this lesson through fitness, the start of a long chipper is always the worst bit. The first few rounds or reps are soul destroying. For example, if I am doing 10 rounds of something, the 3rd round is always. ALWAYS. the worst. But then as I get to half way, my mood drastically increases because I am gaining that emotional and physical momentum to keep doing.
This lesson applies to everything in our lives! Like working! Have you ever been doing a piece of work and you’re so into it you’ve been so focused on it that 45 minutes has gone by and you’re like holy bananas where did that go! And you also needed to pee 15 minutes ago but you’re so in the zone, you just didn’t leave the work. Momentum. Once it starts, you can get so much achieved!
The skill is understanding and using momentum to get yourself moving forwards.
The problem most of us have in the modern times is that we are easily distracted from our momentum by phones, puppies, bad foods, fun, the sunshine, people. We try and get into that zone of pure productivity that makes us feel amazing but every 2 seconds, your phones going off or someone is asking you for something or that aforementioned puppy is suddenly right next to you and you simply have to pick it up! Its a puppy!
And this is why we aren’t hitting our goals, because we are distracted and busy. We make ourselves busy but over scheduling all the fun to avoid doing the mundane, repetitive tasks that make us successful.
For example, Yoga.
I want to be able to stretch, but spending 5 minutes a stretching is my own personal version of hell. I always keep myself, my thoughts and my life too busy to make time for something I want to do. But! Occasionally, I reach out and I commit to yogaing once a day for 5 mins. And I start and it sucks for a few days but then I love it and I’m like YEAH I AM SO INTO YOGA and suddenly it’s 10 mins a day and I am loving all this new positive activity in my life. Then SMASH comes the distraction in whatever form its takes and I fall of the momentum wagon. Then yoga is forgotten about for another 6 months because starting all over again to go through that GRIND. That UGH I HATE THIS WHY AM I DOING THIS I COULD BE DOING SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE. I have to do that all again and because I yo yo, I convince myself that I don’t like yoga because I never build up to any momentum, I’m always getting the train just out of the station then letting it stop dead.
Writing this blog post is a perfect example, was writing in the flow then decided to check my messages! BAM. Flows dead. Long live the flow.
So how do we keep the momentum so we can actually get our shit done?
Remove distractions. Simple but effective. Turn all notifications off on your phone, no emails, no beeping. Ask everyone to leave you alone unless its urgent.
Schedule appointments to keep people from interrupting you all day. Have a daily check in and they can get it all out then, then you can solely focus on your task (not always easy in an office environment where you have to float) Also schedule appointments with yourself. Put do Yoga into your calendar and turn up to it. Don’t be a flake!
Don’t give up so easily. Like with the workout, even though you start to barter with yourself about reducing reps and rounds, don’t give up. Just keep moving, don’t focus on anything else but the next thing you have to do.
Create lasting habits. I am bad at yoga because its not a habit to me. I am great at eating clean food because its a habit. I am good at keeping my head space cleared because again, its a habit to me :)
Do one thing towards your goal, every single day. Like read a chapter of a book or listen to a podcast or do a squat.
Celebrate the mini wins. Sometime it feels like you aren’t getting anywhere so if you have a mini win. Celebrate the fork out of it.
Write down all your achievements as well, so you can look back and see how well you are doing. Use numbers to help. If you are trying to lose weight, look at the pounds being destroyed. If you are saving money for something, track the money you’re saving by not purchasing frivolous things.
Once you find that momentum, it will drive you forward. So pick a goal and get the train started! Be prepared to push at it until its going and keep feeding the steam train towards success!
Thanks for reading! I will see you back on the Gram!