James Clear’s Life-Changing Take on Activation Energy
How you can use real-life catalysts to get things done
Showing up to the gym is more complex than the actual workout.
Once you’re there, you’re committed. Your mind is in a different place than when you were lying face down on your bed. If you’re the type who struggles to show up, there are ways to trick your brain into going.
It’s a matter of adjusting your activation energy.
Most things we do need a push. Whether or not we do what we set out to do depends on the initial inspiration.
We need daily catalysts
Science drives our lives. We hardly notice it, though.
Activation energy is a chemistry term we used back in high school, but it has real-world applications when applied to humans.
James Clear wrote:
“In chemistry, the more difficult it is for a chemical reaction to occur, the bigger the activation energy. For habits, it’s the same story. The more difficult or complex a behavior, the higher the activation energy required to start it.”
Enter catalysts…
A catalyst is something like an event, usually to speed up a process. For example, a flame provides heat to a pan, which increases the speed at which food is cooked.
Catalysts work by providing an alternative pathway with lower activation energy requirements in our lives. Without a form of motivation, we’re less likely to attempt something to completion.
In layman's terms, this can mean making a cup of coffee to wake yourself up and get you throughout your day quicker. Or it's knowing a new video game releases at the end of the week, making work more manageable because you have something to look forward to.
The idea of a snack after writing helps me get through the days I don't want to sit and write.
Stimulus is key
Without stimulus, we're less inclined to do anything. So, lowering your activation energy is a simple way to accomplish tasks you don't want to do.
Let's stick with the writing example. Most days, I don't want to sit and write. I work 8 hours a day, cook for myself, and work out(most days). An extra 30 minutes of typing sounds like brutal punishment.
But, I've found ways to lower my activation energy, AKA, the amount of effort it takes to start the process by putting processes in place.
One part of the process is keeping my writing tab open. I don't have to think about opening up a search browser. It's ready for my words.
Another way I lower my activation energy is by blocking one day of the week for planning. Mondays are research and light development days. I scroll on Twitter, find good ideas, and write them down so that when it’s time to write, all the major concepts are already laid out for me.
I just effortlessly expand on the thoughts I already wrote down.
Some simple ways to lower your activation energy
Writing is one aspect of my life, but what about you?
I helped clients lower their content creation activation energy (say that five times fast) by creating a video streaming setup. All he has to do is click a button on his laptop, and boom, footage from his DSLR is stored directly on his computer.
He can even tell Alexa to turn the overhead lights on.
Whatever your tasks are, you can make a checklist and go about your day. See how many tasks you can cross off. I hardly ever have the time to check all my boxes.
Every daily task can become more efficient if you think like Steve Jobs and look around the box instead of inside it.
Here are some things that can make you a more efficient person:
Set your clothes out before bed, so you don't have to think about what to wear the next day
Put a glass of water on your nightstand, so you have to drink it when you wake up
Make breakfast the night before, so you don’t skip a meal
Lock your social media apps at 8 PM every night, so you’re forced to work on your side hustle before bed
The common theme is to plan ahead. The type of day you’re going to have is determined the night before.
Sometimes we need to reach a breaking point first
Failure leads to success. Read that again and again.
Rejection hurts in the moment, but there’s an opportunity to learn if you look at it with the right pair of groovy glasses. In the case of activation energy, failure comes in the form of running out of time.
We all have the same 24 hours, so it’s weird to see certain people using them more efficiently. We just like to believe they don't sleep, don't work out, or don't have social lives.
We're all robots in some form or fashion, but making excuses for yourself isn't the answer.
When I don't accomplish everything I want to in a day, I don't scream at myself like my candy got stolen on the playground. I look at my schedule and look for holes in my plan.
Could I have gotten up earlier?
What distracted me?
Was I as focused as I should’ve been?
Create a web of actions for yourself, and you’ll get to the bottom of your productivity mystery,
Every action leads to a reaction. Don't expect different results if you keep doing the same thing. I'm writing that on a Post-It.
Wrap up
Save time so that you can invest it elsewhere.
Time equals money, and money equals time. So, think of what you can do to reduce your activation energy with that in mind.
The end goal is reached, or isn't, based on an initial push to bring all the ideas together. Getting out of bed is easier if your lights turn on automatically or if your alarm clock is across the room.
Getting up earlier leads to more time in the day to get sh!t done. Getting more sh!t done generally leads to more success (in your mind).
When motivation goes out the door, commitment shows up to get you through.