In this essay, I will address what I like to call Energy Management.

Research has indicated that self-control is a resource that is quickly depleted. A person who is on a diet is using that resource for the diet and less of it is available when trying not to overspend.

Self-discipline is like a rocket thruster. Its quickly burned out. Its only purpose is to boost you through the inertia of starting something and through the tough times when you approach resistance.

There are strategies you can use to get you boosted enough to get over the inertia of starting. The strategies could include brute self-discipline, commitments, affirmations, or whatever. The secret is to stir up your emotions and get all your ducks in a row before you start. Then you let it burn full force for as long as you need to get your momentum going. Once momentum is reached, all you need to do is maintain as much of that momentum as possible without backing off until a habit is developed.

Its commonly held that 21 days are needed to form a new habit. I think it could be more or less depending on the habit. Thirty-day trials are great for testing something new before adopting it permanently, giving you the freedom to continue, quit, or adjust at the end of the trial period. Thirty-day trials are intended to be learning experiences rather than steadfast commitments. The best thing about trials is that, should you choose to continue, the habit is already formed enough to easily quit or continue.

If youre relying on superhuman amounts of self-discipline to get you through the entire goal, youre setting yourself up for failure.

At times, Ive had to break things down into a series of steps and motivate myself to just get started. For instance, there have been times when I really didnt want to go to the gym but I always committed to at least show up and work out for 5 to 10 minutes. Usually, that was enough to get over inertia before my desire to push myself would take over. After a while, it becomes easier and easier to overcome inertia.

During the middle of the summer, I began jogging on the road. It was a good experience and I enjoyed it. Usually when I woke in the morning, it was hard to imagine that Id be jogging in about 30 minutes but I started by committing to getting dressed for it, then driving to the location, then walking to warm up, then jogging for ten minutes. After focusing on each step, one at a time, it was easy sailing and I would usually do more than 30 minutes even though I gave myself the freedom to quit after 10. During my cool down, I would feel a proud sense of accomplishment because it wouldve been so easy just to skip the days workout.

A few weeks later, I stopped jogging as often because I had some projects I wanted to finish before classes started and time was of the essence. Now I find its difficult to get started again all because I lost my momentum. This should illustrate how important it is to keep momentum when developing a new habit.

Another thing to consider is how to maintain momentum without the need for self-discipline. The simple answer is to find a way to enjoy what you feel must be done. If you feel you must exercise, find an activity thats fun for you. If you must study, find ways to apply the knowledge to your life or develop and genuine curiosity for the subject. If you want to write a book, make rules and arbitrary goals for yourself to make the daily work challenging. Youre basically trying to find ways to turn what you need to do into something you want to do. Try making it more interesting and fun than what you would otherwise be doing.