Tis the season for New Years Resolutions! As we approach the end of a very long and stressful year, many of us find ourselves setting goals and expectations for 2021. Hopefully the holidays have given you time to relax, recharge, and reflect upon your successes and failures in 2020. After this period of reflection you’ve probably come up with a set of goals and/or resolutions for 2021. If you’ve set a goal to learn a new skill – starting a new instrument, learning a new language, tackling a new workout routine, etc. then it’s time to create a plan that will ensure your success and adherence beyond the initial excitement of the first couple weeks.
Create Habits That Propel You Towards Your Goal
While I have discussed setting both long term and short term goals in previous articles on the TakeLessons blog, the most important factor in new skill acquisitions is establishing a consistent process for working on your desired goal.
The cliche saying “it’s the journey not the destination” perfectly sums up the mindset you need to adopt in order to be successful in learning the skill. If you focus on establishing consistent habits, you will inevitably reach your short and long term learning targets. For a more in depth discussion on habit formation, I HIGHLY recommend reading James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
So what does establishing a consistent habit look like? We perform most of our day to day habits unconsciously. For example, I put on my glasses after my alarm goes off, I brush my teeth after eating breakfast. These activities are so ingrained into our daily lives that they are automatic. In other words, I do not expend great amounts of conscious energy reminding myself to put on my glasses before I get out of bed or brush my teeth after eating breakfast. Similarly, I do not have to focus lots of mental energy on the performance of these activities – they just happen without me thinking “put the toothpaste on the toothbrush, raise the tooth brush to your mouth, open your mouth, use the brush to apply the toothpaste to your teeth..” You get the idea.
In other words, to successfully learn a new skill, you must automate both when you work on the skill and how you perform it.
Take time every Sunday to plan out when you will work on the skill during the course of the week. If you can keep the times consistent, even better, but not entirely necessary. The important thing is to do it consistently.
Consistency is Key
Every weekday morning I perform my fundamentals and warm up exercises on my instrument between 8 and 9 am. Sometimes I have to move this work to the afternoon or evening but I make sure I get it done. Get an old school paper calendar and cross off each day you work on your skill. Seeing a string of “x’s” is empowering. Don’t break the chain! If you do miss a day, no big deal, get right back to it the next day. Make a concerted effort not to miss two days in a row.
If you are trying to learn a new skill that is completely unfamiliar to you – a new language for example, or begin working out for the first time, focus more on day to day consistency that devoting large chunks of time each day working on the skill.
Early on, you may feel invigorated, but doing too much too soon can lead to burn out. Atomic Habits recommends you start off small. Devote just five minutes a day. Do this for a week or two, and then add another five minutes. If you are trying to learn the piano, practice for just five minutes a day, then ten minutes, then fifteen, etc. Consistent action builds momentum and this momentum will motivate you to keep pursuing your goals!
Clara Blood