This morning I finished listening to the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Sooo many great nuggets in this book about building and maintaining habits! I just picked one nugget to share with you today but be ready for other tips from him in the future 😂
The concept I want to share is called the “Goldilocks Rule.” The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard and not too easy.
In the book, Clear explains this Rule with a tennis analogy:
“The human brain loves a challenge, but only if it is within an optimal zone of difficulty. If you love tennis and try to play a serious match against a four-year-old, you will quickly become bored. It’s too easy. You’ll win every point. In contrast, if you play a professional tennis player like Roger Federer or Serena Williams, you will quickly lose motivation because the match is too difficult.
Now consider playing tennis against someone who is your equal. As the game progresses, you win a few points and you lose a few. You have a good chance of winning, but only if you really try. Your focus narrows, distractions fade away, and you find yourself fully invested in the task at hand. This is a challenge of just manageable difficulty and it is a prime example of the Goldilocks Rule.”
When something isn’t challenging enough we tend to get bored and lose motivation. If it’s too challenging we tend to get frustrated and give up. Our human brains love a challenge as long as it’s in the right zone of difficulty.
If you are having trouble staying motivated, take a look at the level of difficulty of what you are trying to do and decide if you need to make any adjustments to find that sweet spot of “manageable difficulty”.
If you are looking for more support in creating new habits or finding that sweet spot, schedule a FREE Transformation Call and see how coaching can help!