I’m an introverted Hobbit.
I’m a writer who works from home.
I also became a complete homebody as a result of the pandemic.
Which means there might be multiple days in a row where I never leave my property.
Seems like an introvert’s dream, right?
There’s just one problem.
Whenever I DO leave my house, I tend to have a great time! It’s beneficial for my mental health. Participating in my community and going to events and meetups improves my quality of life. And the best way to write interesting things is to live an interesting life.
Which means I need to get out more!
The challenge: overcoming the inertia of a warm, cozy Hobbit hole, to go through the “inconvenience” of putting on pants and doing stuff…all of which will make my life better.
So I set a weird goal for 2024:
I have to leave my property every day.
I made a video about this on Instagram, but I’ll walk you through how it’s played out so far!
Steve Needs to Leave Bag End
Because I am a disaster, I almost missed my one big goal on the very FIRST DAY of the year.
January 1st was cold as hell, I was working on a project all day, and in a lot of virtual meetings. The next thing I knew, it was 5PM, dark, cold, and I hadn’t left my house yet!
So I told myself: “Okay it might be the lamest ‘win’ ever, but I’ll just go check the mail and then quickly stand in the street. That counts!”
Then something funny happened.
Once I got to my mailbox, I said “Well, I’m already here…might as well walk to the end of the block.”
So I did. And then I walked another block. By the time I got back home, I had completed a 15-minute walk and felt a bit recharged.
The next day, I went for a proper walk.
The day after that? I literally walked to the mailbox and back.
But the day after that!? I saw American Fiction and absolutely adored it. I’m trying to go to the movies more regularly to support the filmmakers I enjoy, so knowing I have to leave my property each day makes me more likely to overcome the inertia to actually go do stuff again!
I am also working my way through every Studio Ghibli film, so I’m going to see The Boy and the Heron this weekend!
Lower the bar to get started, then raise it.
So you might be thinking: “Steve you introverted Hobbit, I commute to work and drive my kid to school every day, how does this apply to me?”
I got you covered, my friend.
Whenever we’re trying to do something new, especially if it requires us to make an effort, it’s easy to wait around until we’re motivated.
The problem, of course, is that it’s action that creates motivation, not vice versa.
Which means if we’re going to get better at doing stuff – especially when we’re not motivated – then we need to lower the bar so low that even Unmotivated Us can take action.
We need to lower our expectations, change our definition of “started,” and give ourselves permission to do the bare minimum:
- Walking into the gym and doing one rep of a single exercise counts.
- Opening a word document and writing one sentence counts.
- Putting on shoes and walking to the mailbox counts.
An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion.
Which means it’s much easier to do a little bit more once we’re already going, than it is to try and convince ourselves to do ALL the things while we’re sitting on the couch.
So, lower that bar to the bare minimum, and then see if maybe you’re willing to go one step further once you’ve started.
-Steve
PS: I’ve been posting daily again on Instagram, so let me know what kind of content you’d like to see from me!
