How can we construct feedback mechanisms - because dollars to timbits the science and anecdotal experience seems to suggest that any behavioural modification succeeds or fails depending on how we tweak our actions in response to the feedback we receive from ourselves and the world - to maximize our chances of success?
And this isn't rocket macrame. Billions of you are better at this than me, and billions worse.
There's a great quote by Fellini in 'I'm a born liar'
where he says something to the effect of "Making movies is hard. The only reason I do it is because someone gives me an advance, I spend it, and I don't want to pay it back."
That's an external motivation. The psychologist Deci breaks down motivation into something like 7 categories from the purely extrinsic - like coercion - to the purely intrinsic - when we act in accordance with our internal values.
I've not read this book:
but some of his scholarly stuff is on the web.
And there's plenty of others like it - it's why life coaches, business coaches and therapists stay in business. You pay someone to hold you accountable. Hopefully, until they teach you how to do it for yourself - but will they? That puts them out of business. Is the moral hazard in private shrinkage the shrinks incentive to keep you coming back? I don't know. Any of you 'graduate' from therapy?
On the other hand name me an Olympian who doesn't have a coach?
So while I like cutting corners, it's unlikely I'm going to be credited with reinventing the wheel.
I had told myself - 'ok, you want numbers? Try putting twice the time into one of these blog posts rather than composing them on the toilet while the kids are screaming in the kitchen' -- well, that's a plan for another day.
But for now I'm just leaving the question out there.
I'm looking for best practices for maintaining commitment to personal goals. Hell, even identifying worst practices would be something.
Bueller?
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