Mastering Creativity Mastering Creativity | Page 28

28 for a run may seem overwhelming or exhausting just to think about before you begin, but if you can muster up the energy to start jogging, you’ll often find that you become more motivated to finish as you go. In other words, it’s easier to finish the run than it was to start it in the first place. This is basically Newton’s First Law applied to habit formation: objects in motion tend to stay in motion. And that means getting started is the hardest part. I often find this to be true with my articles. Once I begin writing, it’s much easier for me to power through and finish. However, if I’m staring at a blank page, it can seem overwhelming and taxing to take the first step. And this, my friends, is where Twyla Tharp’s morning ritual comes back into the picture. Rituals Are an On Ramp for Your Behavior The power of a ritual, or what I like to call a pre-game routine, is that it provides a mindless way to initiate your behavior. It makes starting your habits easier and that means following through on a consistent basis is easier. Habits researchers agree. Benjamin Gardner, a researcher in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London recently published a paper in the Health Psychology Review that covered how we can use habits to initiate longer, more complex routines: A ‘habitual’ bicycle commuter, for example, may automatically opt to use a bicycle rather than alternative