I have said in previous posts that we will do what matters to us (going to the gym, studying, writing blog posts…) But, we prefer easier activities and/or more rewarding ones (team sports, games on our phones, Netflix under the covers) I know, there is no way in hell studying is going to EVEEEER be fun, right?
We study books all the time! The one book you couldn’t put down. Harry Potter, The Notebook, Stephan King’s “It.” reading books requires the same focus, recall (memory) and critical thinking. (What do the clues tell you about the story as you go?) I know that we can’t always choose what we have to learn, but we can make it fun.
How? make a bet with your friends, who ever gets the best score/performance review/ ____ gets $50 from each person in your group. Or, try and out-do your own performance with a measurable factor (I read 10 pages today, so I try for at least 11 tomorrow) When you improve and stick to it REWARD yourself, as soon as possible! ( I like to make some homemade hot cacao!)
Of course, if you have the flu or someone you love dies, give yourself a break, you will make more progress taking time to deal with emergencies than you would working through them! (When I’m sick I have so many typos in my writing it is embarrassing, and the internet lasts!)
We have more power than we often think, change is uncomfortable, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Studying is just an example of hard behavior to stick to, the ideas I mentioned can be applied to almost any desired habit!
How do you reward yourself? We could all use some more ideas!
SickyBeat 