Really Bright Lines

I was able to make a chain this week. And what helped me do that - really bright lines. Let me explain. It is easy to do something 100% of the time than 90%.  It shortcuts a decision loop - the brain doesn't have to work to decide whether to do something or not. The answer is always clear. This added clarity saves a lot of energy and time - and more than that, it makes it very easy to follow through. 

And this is how I was able to make the chain. Simple rule - No internet before 5 PM. No exclusions and no exceptions. Though I made this decision lot times, I always let some loop holes in - like watching news for five minutes was OK. It was OK if I'm not working etc. And this left a really simple path to get hijacked as the dopamine inducing articles would suck me in and leaving me totally emaciated to do any worthwhile work. This time I didn't leave any such loophole.

And so there I was - feeling the passing of time, feeling like a luxurious person - I had a lot of time in my day. Things were happening peacefully - nothing was feeling rushed. Things were taking as much time as they needed. And that helped me to finally make a chain. As I always have the energy to do the things I should do and any distracting thought has to wait till 5 PM to become real! 

So this is my advice to anyone who is struggling to follow through a decision they made - make whatever you decided really bright - no gray lines. Do something 100% of the time. Make the decision automatic. Decide when you're at your peak state and then resolve that what you have decided is done. Make starting the thing you want to do so easy that it should be easier to start it than to decide to not to do it and get away from it. The less energy you want to spend starting it the more successful  you will be.