Scott H Young

As some of you know, I’m a big fan of the 30 Day Trial method. The concept was first set out by Steve Pavlina several years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. The idea is that if you commit to a change of behavior for a month, it will become a habit.

It’s simple, but it works. I’ve used this to exercise more, read books, stop watching television, wake up early, become a vegetarian, start using GTD and begin keeping a budget. After a continuous month, you have the choice to continue with the new way of living, switch back or find a happy medium.

Last week, I had a discussion with a few readers about the method. Since I started writing about changing habits, I’ve held to the rule of thumb that you should only do one 30DT (thirty day trial) at a time. Friend and life coach, Tim Brownson, suggested I was wrong:

Forget conventional wisdom because if you don’t you just end up as an Average Joe because that is what conventional wisdom is based around. Unless of course that is what you want, in which case, knock yourself out.

Will power = motivation, and if you have enough of that then you can easily work on more than one change at once. I have seen it done successfully numerous times it’s just a question of belief……in yourself.

I respect Tim’s advice both as a friend and as a professional. But I’m going to have to disagree.

One Month Is Incredibly Short

Since writing my first book on the subject and these introductory articles, I’ve had a lot of people ask me questions about changing habits. A common problem I see is being over-motivated.

Typically, I’ll get an email from someone who feels doing one 30DT at a time would be too easy. It is more practical, this person feels, to do 3-5 at once. That way, you’ll have everything finished in a month instead of a year.

Usually when I follow up with this person later, their excessive enthusiasm didn’t help them. Instead of successfully completing one habit change, they burned out. The motivation lasted a week, but after that everything slipped. Now this person is asking for advice before doing it again.

One month is short. Trying to squeeze 3-5 trials into one month is possible, but it is unnecessarily difficult. Don’t hurry the process.

Patience Versus Motivation

The problem of excessive motivation with 30DT’s isn’t restricted to changing habits. It’s something I see all the time. Worst of all, it’s a mistake I’ve made more than once, so I’ve learned the lesson firsthand.

Patience isn’t as sexy as enthusiasm. A motivational speaker will get paid more if s/he gives you the idea that you can accomplish your dreams in a week if you just push hard enough. The idea that relatively painless, habitual investing is a better strategy doesn’t sell seminar tickets.

Motivation is the spark, patience is the firewood. You only need a small spark to kindle firewood. But if all you have is flash without fuel, you’re going to burn out. It’s easy to overestimate the amount of motivation you need and underestimate the amount of patience required.

30 Day Trials Aren’t Supposed to Be Hard

After completing more than two dozen 30DT’s, I’ve found that they aren’t hard at all. In fact, aside from a few hiccups they are pretty easy. Even dramatic changes like giving up meat, not watching television or exercising every day are doable for a month.

But if you have a romantic picture in your head that changing a habit is supposed to be grueling labor, you’ll scoff at something like the 30 Day Trial. I’ve even had a reviewer of my book send me this message, “Scott makes it sound so easy. If changing habits were really this simple, why do so many people struggle with getting in shape or quitting smoking?”

Motivation is worthless without a focus. And unless you have the patience to focus on one change, for a month, you can’t succeed with this method.

Life Does Reward Tortoises

The importance of patience and consistency isn’t a new one. I’m sure all of you have heard of the tortoise and the hare. I’m sure you also know who wins the race.

Most of self-improvement doesn’t come from one or two motivational sprints, although these are important. It comes from putting in the same effort day after day. Having the discipline to say no to opportunities that draw you away from your focus. Controlling and harnessing motivation, not just fanning the flames.

Here are just a few examples:

1. Saving and investing. Starving yourself for one month to save 40% of your income isn’t as effective as investing 10% of your earnings each month, for a year. The painless, simplistic and slower method wins.
2. Getting in shape. Eating a sustainable diet high in plants and low in grease is will result in better health than eating nothing but grapefruit for a month. It isn’t glamorous, but it works.
3. Regular blog writing. I write four articles each week. Some weeks I have more ideas and some I have less. Keeping to a schedule has helped me write over a half-million words in the last two years.
4. Skill building. I’ve read from various sources that it takes 10 years with 20 hours a week of practice to become a master at anything. Burning yourself out doing 80 hours a week for the first month won’t help.
5. 30 Day Trials. My first example, but it deserves repeating. One trial a month means that in a year you can change almost every major habit that runs your life. How can you consider that slow?

Taking Small Steps

What should you do if you can’t go over a wall? Create the motivation to jump 10 feet in the air, or start building stairs?

I’m a believer that if you can’t take a step forward, make the step smaller. I didn’t start using the 30DT method with difficult habits. I started with easier ones, like keeping a journal or waking up at 7:00 instead of 7:30. Once I had built confidence with the technique, I moved to bigger tasks.

Some might say I was wasting time. If I had just built up the motivation, I could have started off with the most difficult steps. Sure, that might have been possible. But what is the difference between an excruciating thirty days and a mildly challenging six months?

I believe in slowly ratcheting up the challenge level. Be confident lifting the 20 kg weight before you try to lift the 25. Otherwise you might throw your back out. Your challenge level should always be slightly higher than you’ve faced before.

Motivation is Important

For some of you, what I’m writing is almost blasphemy. I need to clarify.

Motivation is important. But without being able to control and focus that motivation for the long term, too much can be just as bad as too little. A fire can fuel an engine, but it can also burn down a house.

One month is short. One year isn’t that long. The truth is, most people won’t even invest a month. Or if they do, it won’t be consistent enough to last. Separating yourself from the “Average Joe’s” doesn’t always mean more motivation. In the end, the tortoise does win.

I’m a selfish guy. I consider my time and energy important, so I don’t waste it on activities that aren’t important to me. Considering I lean towards self-absorption, it may seem odd that I’m a huge supporter of volunteering. The truth is, volunteerism has many selfish benefits if you can see past the stigma of being a do-gooder.

I started volunteering as a soccer coach for kids a couple years ago. Until that point, volunteering was always a “should” that I never had time for. But after realizing the selfish benefits I could take from jobs with no pay, I’ve had several larger volunteer positions:

• Vice President of Membership with Toastmasters
• President of a Toastmasters Club
• Manager of Corporate Relations for our student council
• Director of IT for the 42nd Annual Business Banquet (which I just started)

That short list doesn’t include the smaller, one-off volunteering events I’ve done in the past 2-3 years. I’m sure some of you have an even longer list of extra-curricular activities, but for the benefit of those who haven’t taken on larger volunteering challenges, I’d like to share my experiences.

Avoid Lose-Win Scenarios

A big mistake is to see selfish and selfless benefits as being in conflict. Hollywood has set the image that being rich and successful in life comes at the cost of the people around you. Big business people are selfish, trying to make a buck at the cost of the little guy. The monk who begs for food on the street is more virtuous than the power-broker who earns millions of dollars a year without thinking of other people.

In reality, you can be selfish and selfless at the same time. When you buy a loaf of bread, both you and the baker are better off. The baker has money for his family and you have something to eat. It’s win-win.

Self-sacrifice is a lose-win scenario. Other people make a gain off your expense. Although self-sacrifice is seen as honorable, it’s a lower quality transaction than a win-win scenario. I try to avoid lose-win scenarios whenever there is a win-win alternative. Most people do.

I’ve taken on so many volunteer projects because they are win-win situations. The lack of pay and extra work may smell like a lose-win, but there are great benefits if you see past the surface.

Selfish Benefits of Volunteering

There are a lot of great reasons to take on volunteer positions, you just need to look past the lack of a paycheck. Here are just a few of the selfish reasons I’ve volunteered:

1. Experience. You can get positions you aren’t qualified for as a volunteer. I’m doing IT for a banquet, which will be valuable in practicing my web and database skills. I can get this position because it’s volunteer, if the position were paid, they would hire somebody better.
2. Networking. Volunteering levels the field between the VIP’s and regular people. Since I’ve taken on my position as a Manager of Corporate Relations, I’ve dealt with several higher level executives. That contact would have been impossible if I were just working a regular job.
3. Part-Time. Most volunteer positions understand you need to earn money. Therefore, it’s easier to add a volunteer job to your schedule than a regular position.
4. Leadership. If you show initiative, it isn’t hard to move up the ladder in a volunteer organization. I have friends who have led a 50+ person team and been in control of an operating budget of $500,000 in their early twenties. Moving up to that level takes a lot more work in a corporate environment.
5. Media Opportunities. I have no desire to be a celebrity. But if you have a business idea that needs exposure, pushing yourself into volunteer activities gives you a bigger chance of getting noticed. I’ve been in local papers a few times for volunteering efforts, and the exposure can be useful for other projects you’re trying to get started.
6. More Flexibility to Leave. Jobs chain you with a paycheck. Even if you’ve sucked all the educational and leadership opportunities out of a job, the money might keep you there. If you take on a volunteer position, it’s easier to leave.
7. Friends. I’ve found volunteering is a good way to meet non-lazy, passionate people. The attitude is often different in a volunteer environment, so you don’t need to spend as much time with people who don’t have your values.

I’ve avoided mentioning resume-boosting. I hate people who take on activities solely to boost their resume, but I suppose it’s also a benefit of volunteering.

Not All Volunteer Positions were Created Equal

I’ve had great experiences volunteering and I’ve also had frustrating ones. I don’t volunteer with activities when I don’t care about the work being done. I didn’t show up to a single meeting to help organize my grad. I didn’t see the value in putting that much effort into a party.

Maybe I just have a contrarian streak, but I’ve spent a lot of time finding value in things other people ignore. I read books most people find boring. I wake up early when most people want to sleep in. I work on personal projects instead of watching television. I think volunteering is another one of those activities that is easy to ignore if you don’t look closely enough.

Find volunteer positions that offer you selfish benefits (experience, leadership opportunities, networking) and inspire you. Volunteering may be spiritually fulfilling, but it has many greedy, material benefits as well.