Turning motivation into habit is a challenge
I’m not there yet
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” — Jim Ryun
When I read the quote above this morning and posted it to Instagram, my accompanying comment was, “I completely agree!”
And I do. I’m just not there yet.
I’m a work in progress, and I imagine a majority of us are in the same boat.
I’m envious of the people who profess all of this wonderful advice about how to establish and keep habits. While I’m sure they follow their own advice, I’m also quite sure they fail as well. We’re all human, you know. Even the best habit followers fall off the wagon.
My Problem
The problem I have is the transition from motivation to habit. I get stuck on one side (motivation) and can’t seem to quite bridge over to the other side (habit).

I write. I’m passionate about writing. I’m working on different projects: working up to blogging daily, connecting on social media, editing my first book, starting my ebook, and networking for my consulting.
I have a lot going on, and yet it’s disjointed. I bounce from one thing to the next. Some days I get overwhelmed and don’t do anything at all. I keep reminding myself of my “why” and it’s motivating, but not enough to make it a habit.
And I finally figured out the reason it hasn’t become a habit yet.
I’m not doing this:
“Sit in the chair.” — Joshua Fields Millburn
I’m not putting in the time consistently to sit down to the act of writing. I plan to write. I put what writing I’m going to work on each day of the week on a markerboard.
I just don’t follow through.
Much of it has to do with being in my own head about it.
I’ve read many articles that explain the habit of doing something has a great deal to do with routine. When we get into a routine or anchor a new habit to an already established one, we set ourselves up for success.
I don’t disagree.
It’s just that I don’t have a specific time of day I can always commit to writing. Therefore, I let myself off the hook. I tell myself that if I can’t write each morning right after breakfast (my anchor habit), then I’ve lost my writing opportunity for the day.
Instead, I just need to ‘sit in the chair.’
It doesn’t matter what time of day I do it. It doesn’t matter how long I do it. I don’t need to set a certain word goal or time goal for my writing. I don’t need to track how many days in a row I do it and then write about my streak. I just need to sit my ass down and write.
Every. Single. Day.
Decision made. Now it’s go time.
It’s time to bridge the gap from motivation to habit. The biggest hurdle has been crossed, getting out of my own way with the head trash.
Now comes the easy part. Writing.
- Thanks for reading! If this piece resonates with you, I would be happy if you shared the love by hitting that little heart button.
- I have this midweek positivity boost called GTI Wednesday. It’s a 5-minute read and it takes less than 30 seconds to subscribe. Head on over to Get To It to sign up and then check out the rest of the website.

