The Way Get Started Is To Quit Talking And Begin Doing. Walt Disney
Although this guide has given you all the information needed to reach ideal, you still have to put in the work to get there. Once again, look at the figure below:
/w=3840,quality=80)
Remember: The only difference between this physique and yours is six months' time.
It is up to you whether or not you achieve the ideal male body. Cut the crap with "I don't have time" or "this is too hard". You only live once.
Organized on this page are all of the techniques scientifically proven to help motivate you towards your ideal body. The ones listed first are those that are most effective in motivating people. So, if you're going to implement some of them, try the ones you read first.
Tactic 1: Get some skin in the game
Several studies indicate that by having something to lose, we are more likely to stick with our goals [1, 2, 3]. No sh*t, right? But, it's an important fact about human nature that you should use to your advantage.
Following this theme, here are a few ways you can put some skin in the game:
Put your money down
If you think the example was hypothetical, it's not. Click the link below to put your money where your heart is and finally make sure you reach your physical goals:
- Go to gofuckingdoit.com
- Create an account
- Set "optimizedguides@gmail.com" as your supervisor.
See you all there 💪
Tell someone you respect about your goals
For this, text someone you admire and respect about your fitness goal and that you want them to keep tabs on you.
Better yet, if you have already put your money down on gofuckingdoit.com, you can link them to your progress there!
Tactic 2: Create habits loops
Charles Duhigg, in his book The Power of Habit, created the "habit loops" method as a fool-proof method to form healthy habits. Habit loops are created in three steps:
- The Cue: the trigger for an automatic behavior to start
- The Routine: the behavior itself
- The Reward: what our brain gets out of it
A personal example: When Noam—an alpha-tester—wanted to start writing he linked watching a YouTube video with writing a paragraph. That meant that before every YouTube video (the cue), he would remember to write a paragraph (the routine), and only then continue the video (the reward).
Eventually, Noam associated watching YouTube with his writing goals and felt an urge to write whenever he watched or clicked on a video.
After seeing it work for his writing goal, he formed habit loops for studying, eating right, working out, reading, meditation, and so much more. We recommended you form habit loops as well. Here are a few examples:
Kitchen habit loop
Every time you enter the kitchen (the cue), check Nutrionix (or your calorie counting app) to see if it's updated for the day (the routine) and then reward yourself with something small like checking social media or eating a snack (the reward).
Sleep habit loop
Before you go to sleep, put your workout clothes in your bag or in front of your door. When you see them (the cue), head to the gym (the routine), and then reward yourself with watching a favorite TV show or anything else (the reward).
Bathroom habit loop
Put your smart scale in front of your toilet or on the way to the bathroom. When you see the scale (the cue), weigh yourself (the routine), and then reward yourself with your preferred hot beverage (the reward).
Other ways?
There are tons of over ways, but these are just a few to get you started!
If you have a few that you came up with on your own, let us know!
Tactics 3: Other motivation tricks
Besides the two motivation tactics listed above, here are more tactics that a majority of the beta-testers agreed upon. Note that this is one of the few times that not a lot of research will be linked in [brackets], but they've each got enough backing behind them to make it into the published guide.
Make a goal card (highly recommended)
The point of a goal card that you carry around with you is to constantly remind yourself of what you are trying to accomplish. Every time you look at it, you will regain your motivation to reach your ideal!
First, get the goal card template in either format:
Make a copy of it, and then edit the text to best suit your needs. Afterward, glue it onto a piece of cardboard and cut around it. Finally, make sure to water-proof it by wrapping it in clear packing tape.
Now put it in your pocket. Every time you touch your card read it out loud while imagining your goal physique clearly in your mind regardless of the time or place. Don't keep in any place that you won't physically touch it (like your wallet) as you might forget about it.
Watch motivational videos
Many people get a huge boost in motivation from watching or listening to motivational videos and speeches. Included in the guide is a public playlist of some highly motivational videos. You can click here to get the YouTube playlist.
Turn off ads related to food
Just seeing ads of food can cause a hunger response even when we're not hungry [1], so besides avoiding the obvious triggers like cookbooks and YouTube food videos, it can be a good idea to turn off ads related to food.
- Click this link
- Scroll down and make sure that any food related ad option is turned off
You could turn off personalized ads altogether, but you might still get ads about food that way. Additionally, if practicing the Quizlet cards makes you hungry, stop using them!
Go to the gym with a friend
A recent study out of Nature Communication found that training with a friend can lead to more consistent gym/running sessions and better workouts [1]. Try to double up on the program with a friend to make sure both of you are being held accountable for your goals!
Remember, you don't need to go all out on these! Pick the tactics that you can actually stick to and add more as you need them. More is not always better.
- Tactic 1: Get some skin in the game
- Put your money down
- Tell someone you respect about your goals
- Tactic 2: Create habits loops
- Kitchen habit loop
- Sleep habit loop
- Bathroom habit loop
- Other ways?
- Tactics 3: Other motivation tricks
- Make a goal card (highly recommended)
- Watch motivational videos
- Turn off ads related to food
- Go to the gym with a friend
← Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page →