Documenting Success

How to start and keep practicing any activity
Published on November 28th, 2006

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You all know the scenario: inspired by reading, seeing or hearing how great and useful something is, you decide to incorporate it into your life. Be it going to the gym, learning how to play golf, writing a page of your novel a day, it’s going to make you healthier, make your life better, it’s good for your teeth, etc.

Bursting with enthusiasm, you set bold goals for yourself, faithfully following your new schedule. Until one day, you miss it. You might have a perfectly good excuse, but it really doesn’t matter. You missed a day, and then another one. You know where this is going – soon enough you stop doing that activity altogether, felling pretty bad about yourself. You might make up elaborate excuses as to why it didn’t work out. You might do the opposite and get depressed, thinking that you’re a weak-willed person, since you can’t follow through with something that is beneficial for you.

Does any of this sound familiar? It certainly does to me. With my lifestyle being for the most part, sedentary (a big change since college, when I had a part time job doing student security that required walking outside for 8 hours), regular exercise is important, since dying of a heart attack at 40 is not an option.

Over the last few years, I attempted jogging, exercising at home, going to the gym, etc… with varying results, at the longest lasting four months. I was even able at one point lose 25 lbs, gain muscle, and feel pretty good about myself. And then… I got sick, so I stopped. After getting better, something else came up, and lo and behold – I was back to my schedule of not exercising while steadily gaining all the weight back.

So what happened? I tried to analyze the situation from many angles. Two or three times a week, I was putting in a big effort, finishing work at 6, then heading over to the gym, home by 9 PM. I would then skip dinner, because eating before bedtime counteracts the exercise. So what happened? In my mind, I understood the reason for exercising, and had no problems psyching myself up to go… but wait a minute!

Why did I have to put in effort – i.e. force myself to go? Isn’t going to the gym supposed to be exciting, not a chore you drag yourself through? And isn’t it supposed to provide you with energy instead of draining it out of you?

That’s when I realized my problem. I was excessively tired after work, dragging myself to the gym, and resenting every minute of it. Plus, I was coming home at a late hour, and didn’t have the time or energy for anything else. So, the problem was right in front of me - going to the gym after work just didn’t fit into my schedule!

Having understood that (not that the realization came immediately… it took a while), I decided to try out a different routine by going to the gym at various times of the day. I also considered different gym locations, in Brooklyn where I live and in Manhattan where I work. I tried a few combinations, but what ended up working for me was going to the gym close to my job in the morning.

I got up early, and went to the gym. Upon finishing my workout, I was filled with such incredible amount of energy that I came to work pumped, ready to take on the world. In the starting weeks I got tired by the end of the day, however after some getting used to it, the fatigue went away. Most importantly, it just felt right. I didn’t have to force myself. I didn’t come home later than I normally did. I did have to sacrifice something – I had to wake up one hour earlier, but I came home at the same time as before.

Now, I know some of you are saying: “there’s no way I can do that, I can’t wake up that early, I have to drive to work for two hours, etc.” That’s a valid point; it’s not the intention of this article to tell you that going to the gym early is the right way to live. My point is: make sure the time fits your schedule. Make sure the place is convenient for you. Do everything so the activity becomes a normal part of your day. Banish the thought that you’re doing something extraordinary. If you get into the territory where NOT doing the activity feels weird – you’re golden!

Here, for instance, this very website. I wanted to start this blog for a long time. But I never got to it, not because I considered it less important than my other projects, but because I could never find time for writing. Call me old fashioned, but I can’t write at the computer. I need pen and paper; otherwise it doesn’t feel like ‘real’ writing to me. I can’t write at work, for obvious reasons, and at home there are always more important things to requiring my attention. So what’s the solution? I started writing on the subway, during my daily commute to and from work.

Actually, I’m writing this on the subway right now! I don’t have a PDA or a laptop; instead I use a trusty old pocket-sized spiral notebook. My total commute time is just under two hours every day, so I get to do quite a lot of writing.

If there’s one thing I’m trying to say in this article, it’s the following: you CAN find a way to introduce any activity in your life and practice it regularly, eventually making it a habit, as long as you find a way to fit it in your schedule. You don’t have to force yourself to do something you’re uncomfortable with. All that is needed is to make an effort to figure out HOW the activity could fit into your schedule (use trial and error if necessary), and incorporate it into your routine.

Good luck!