• Overcoming the Fear of Irregular Habits

    edited by Alexander Becker on October 10, 2006 | Link

    Adopting, installing and eventually sticking to a new habit is no big of a problem. You start with willpower and keep it up religiously and after the initial 21 - 28 days you just do it on autopilot. Willpower isn't necessary anymore and the habit is part of your daily schedule like all tasks and activities you go through without even consciously thinking about, let alone deciding to actually do.

    To transform a daily habit into an every-couple-days habit is a completely different and difficult endeavor. Setting up and following an irregular habit, one that doesn't repeat every day or in regular increments is not supposed to be that hard either, yet it requires a surprisingly big effort to keep it up without the rigid schedule of doing it every day.

    You fear to experience failure with these habits and you ultimately do. Why is that? How do we counter this fading away of irregular action? Why are we so used to live in a linear way when in fact, life is not? It is not even that the increments are too long, it is no problem to repeat some action every month or even every two months. Exactly every two months, that is. Every couple weeks doesn't work.

    Obviously, we need a definite schedule, simple to remember and adhere to. Habits are run from the part of the brain that stores and maintains mechanic sequences. To succeed, you have to give in to the demands of the mechanic.

    Here is a way to comply with the principle of exact and simple schedules, at the same time creating satisfaction derived from habits that are served just like they are planned and even better, exceeded.

    Continue your established habit in a daily manner. Being comfortable, start to gradually and consciously not act on your habit while still having it in your schedule. Pretend to do daily what you have to do every couple days. The conditioned behavior and sense of obligation doesn't fade away, yet you get the additional benefit of showing up to accomplish your job with showing up being the only task to do on the days off.

    Now, you have to make use of the extra time and invest the motivational bonus from the skipped, and therefore perfectly executed habit. Look for new and productive habits to install on the days you pretend to follow the irregular one.

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