Lesson ten - use commitment devices and reminders
You might have experienced a fleeting spark of motivation to do something you think will be beneficial. Perhaps you come across a book you've always wanted to read and tell yourself, "I'll read that someday." Or maybe you see people jogging through the park and think to yourself, "I'm going to start jogging too." Inevitably though, you never actually follow through. Despite countless examples of not following through, we still manage to temporarily convince ourselves that we will someday act on our intentions. Unfortunately, the reality is that our motivation tends to fade, we forget, and ultimately, we fail to achieve our goals.
The space between current intentions and future reality is dark and rarely crossed. We know all too well the things that are in our long term interest. And yet, time and time again, we fail to follow through. Why is that? I would like to answer that question and, by doing so, teach you a basic skill set for achieving long-term goals, even when there are no external forces urging you to act.
What is your long term goal?
I’d like you to take a moment to think of an important life goal that you haven’t taken action on. I really want you to bring at least one goal to mind, so take a moment, close your eyes and bring an important life goal to mind.
Once you have identified a goal, let's explore why you have not made any progress towards it. I'm guessing at least one of the following is true:
Your intentions are kinda vague.
The reward for taking action is far away.
And, you don't have anything set up to remind you to take action.
These three factors play a vital role in achieving any long-term goal. I will give a more detailed breakdown of each factor and share a few practical strategies that you can implement starting today.
Factor one: vague intentions
This is a common failure mode. It's when your goal lacks specificity and clarity, making it feel abstract and distant. Vague intentions create a lack of direction and purpose, making it difficult to take concrete steps forward. This is a concept I covered in detail in lesson five of Do•er so I am not going to go into too much detail about the rationale for this method here.
For now, it's crucial to understand the importance of breaking down your goal into specific and concrete steps. Without this clarity, progress becomes elusive. Take a moment to reflect on your goal. Is it merely a vague intention floating in your mind, or have you actually outlined a specific set of actions necessary for progress? If it's the former, the first step you should take is to turn it into something more tangible and specific.
Once you have clarified the specific and concrete actions required, you are prepared to address the second factor.
Factor two: distant rewards
The reason we struggle to follow through on certain goals is because of something behavioral economists call temporal discounting. Basically this means we have a bias towards immediacy, often discounting future rewards in favor of immediate gratification.
A prime example of this is new year's resolutions. I used to find it fascinating to look up statistics on the most common resolutions people make. However, after a few years of doing this, I've noticed that the items on the list rarely change. People's goals from 2017 are pretty much the same as they are today.
In 2023 these were the most common new year's resolutions:
52% of people said they wanted to exercise more in the new year
50% wanted to eat healthier
39% wanted to save more money
37% wanted to spend more time with family and friends
31% wanted to improve their mental wellbeing
20% intended to spend less time on social media
19% wanted to learn a new skill or hobby
Year after year people make these resolutions and fail to make progress on them. That’s because of one thing they all have in common.
For each of these goals, the reward for doing the activity comes a long time after the act itself. For instance, when you increase your savings percentage, you don’t get to enjoy the benefits of that decision for years to come.
This is unlike other activities like scrolling social media. When we scroll on our phones, the reward is immediate. Our brains are naturally inclined to favor actions that offer immediate rewards, which can be traced back to our evolutionary past. In those times, obtaining food, finding shelter, and avoiding danger were vital for survival. However, we now live in a world where success is not solely determined by surviving the next few minutes. Many situations in the modern world require long-term planning and the ability to delay gratification.
This bias towards short-term rewards is deeply ingrained in our neural circuitry, and we cannot change that. Nevertheless, we can manipulate our circumstances to account for this brain limitation. Learning to manipulate circumstances in order to achieve long-term goals is a valuable skill that can be acquired. Unfortunately, most people are never explicitly taught this skill. In school and university, deadlines create a constant sense of urgency, which becomes our motivator. However, many things we value in life, such as regular exercise, writing a book, or nurturing relationships, don’t have deadlines that generate urgency. Consequently, we never feel motivated to take action.
To achieve long-term goals, it is necessary to create systems that motivate us even in the absence of external urgency. This can be accomplished by using commitment devices, which are decisions we make when we have a clear mind to bind ourselves and prevent regrettable actions when we are no longer motivated. For example, someone with a compulsive spending habit could freeze their credit card in a block of ice, forcing themselves to wait a few hours before making a purchase.
Recognizing that our motivation is temporary, we can utilize moments of clarity to establish behaviors that align with our long-term goals. Learning to implement commitment devices is a powerful skill. In fact, Do•er owes much of its existence to a series of commitment devices.
The pivotal moment that set the course for the creation of Do•er took place in April 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was sitting outdoors, having a coffee with my co-founder, Kemble. I mentioned a lecture series I had been watching on how to start a start-up. As I had a keen interest in building products and eventually starting my own company, I was eager to watch it. However, the series consisted of 22 hours of content, and considering the busyness of life, I knew it wouldn't happen by chance.
After discussing it for a while, we made a deal. We agreed to watch one lecture per week and meet every Sunday evening to discuss what we had learned. Before leaving the park, we solidified the deal by scheduling 22 calendar events and committing to joining the call every Sunday, regardless of any obstacles.
This commitment created a clear path forward for us. I had no doubt that Kemble would be on the call every Sunday, and he felt the same about me. Motivated by the desire not to disappoint each other, we found ways to listen to the lectures and diligently take notes.
Over the next six months, we faithfully completed every lecture, setting ourselves on the path that eventually led to the creation of Do•er. Without that commitment device, we would have never reached the point where we are today.
Even after 12 months, commitment devices continue to play a central role in our work. We scheduled automated monthly emails to send to people we respect and admire, updating them on our progress. Knowing that these emails are sent every month keeps us committed to our goals, ensuring that we make meaningful progress on a regular basis.
So how can you use commitment devices?
Once you’ve determined your specific goal, ask yourself the following question:
"What actions can I take today to ensure that I remain committed to pursuing this goal in the future, even if I lack motivation?"
Your goal should be to attach a cost to not acting in line with your stated intentions. It’s best if you're not the one who controls the reward or punishment. This removes the temptation to cheat.
To give you a starting point, a simple system I like to use is to schedule emails to a group of close friends and family. I first send an email explaining that a specific goal is very important to me and that I expect to to complete a particular set of tasks within the next week or month. I then immediately schedule a follow-up email to send a few days before my goal. Most email providers like gmail offer the ability to schedule emails.
The format of the email goes something like this:
Hi there, I am sending you this email because I respect and admire you enough to not want to let you down. Three weeks ago I committed to doing a specific set of tasks by the end of this week. I have been documenting my progress in the linked google document. Please take a minute to read my latest update. If the update is not complete, reply to this email with a few words of encouragement to help me get it done!
Personally I find this social accountability to a group of close family and friends enough to motivate me to make progress. However, if you find that this approach does not work for you, you can raise the stakes by making a financial commitment as a consequence for failing to follow through on your goal. There are several websites available, such as Stickk.com and Beeminder, which are specifically designed to provide financial commitment devices.
Once you have turned your vague intentions into specific goals and set commitment devices to hold yourself accountable to making progress, you are ready to tackle the third and final factor required to achieve long term goals.
Factor three: distant rewards
A fact of life is that we forget things that are important to us. Very often in the moment that we realize we need to do something important we temporarily convince ourselves that we won’t forget. We think “oh yes I need to read a chapter of my book today” and then say to ourselves, “I’ll do that as soon as I get home from work”. Inevitably we come home from work and forget. We fail to recognise that with the passage of time our attention will drift onto other things in spite of our best intentions.
To make progress on long-term goals, relying on our memory to take action every day is not reliable. You have to assume that you will forget. Once you accept this, you can use external cues to compensate for your forgetfulness. Whether it's setting a phone alarm, using sticky notes, or receiving notifications, strategically placed reminders keep your goals at the forefront of your attention, ensuring they stay alive in our minds.
The key to setting effective reminders is to connect them to actions you know you will definitely do. For example, if you always have coffee in the morning, you can place a post-it note on the kettle as a reminder. Similarly, if you want to develop a habit of reading before bedtime, you can place a book on your pillow.
It is crucial not to ignore the cue. When you see the cue and decide to do the task later, you weaken its effectiveness. Gradually, it becomes part of your surroundings and loses its power as a reminder.
I’ve seen this playout with many of my colleagues at work. They set recurring calendar events to plan their day or journal, but the reminders are practically invisible to them because they have developed a habit of ignoring them in the morning.
On the other hand, each time you see the cue and complete the task, you strengthen its power. A useful principle to follow is to have a one-minute version of the task. For instance, if your long-term goal is to write a book and your daily habit is to write for 30 minutes, you can aim to write for just one minute when you don't have enough time. This ensures that the cue remains powerful and undiminished.
So bringing that all together, the key to effectively using reminders is to connect them to actions you will definitely do. Once the cue is established, strive to consistently fulfill the task. To facilitate that consistency, create a one-minute version of the task that you can always accomplish.
In Unit 6 of Do•er, you have the opportunity to practice these skills and establish the necessary conditions to start making progress on your long-term goal. If you're ready, go ahead and give it a try!
Consider this moment as a pivotal point, where a single decision can alter the course of your life. You now have the knowledge to strive for something truly exceptional. I genuinely hope you feel excited about the future opportunities that await you.
Key ideas:
There are three critical factors required to accomplish a long-term goal:
Turn vague intentions into a specific and actionable plan.
Set commitment devices that hold you accountable for making progress, even when you don't feel like it. For instance, scheduling regular updates to trusted individuals can serve as a commitment device.
Set reminders that keep your goal at the forefront of your attention. They should be tied to actions you will definitely do. Even if the main task can't be completed, have a shortened version of the task to keep up with the habit.
This article is an adaptation of the tenth audio lesson of Doer: the science-based guide to overcoming procrastination. For good! Discover the root cause of your procrastination and start mastering the skill of accomplishing important tasks by downloading "Doer" today!
