If you want to run more, sign up for a race

Specific goals with deadlines really do motivate people

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is that if you want to run more, sign
up for a race. In other words, create a goal

(00:24):
with a deadline for anything you want to spend more
time doing. Specific goals really do motivate people, so when
one is an option, it can be wise to avail
yourself of the opportunity. I really do like to run.

(00:45):
I like being outside.

Speaker 2 (00:46):
And moving and getting in a better mood. As a
result of that, runners high. I like having time away
from the bustle of my full house, so I run
pretty regularly without any particular goal on the horizon. Indeed,
I once ran for eleven hundred days in a row,

(01:08):
and yet having signed myself up to run a half
marathon this fall, I find myself running more frequently and
covering greater distances too. Even with a fair amount of
intrinsic motivation, an external goal still helps. Why is that?

Speaker 1 (01:28):
I think that probably many people have a vague sense
that it would be a good idea to run, but
on days when we don't particularly want to, the rational
choice is not to run. Having a nebulous sense that
it's a good idea to run is not enough to
outweigh a specific desire to get ahead on a work project,
or start dinner or catch up on a few extra

(01:51):
minutes of sleep. It's not necessarily a lack of willpower
that keeps people from getting out the door. It's the
lack of our reason that is stronger than all the
reasons not to run. But when you sign up for
a race instantly you have a compelling reason to go run.

(02:11):
If you are running a marathon in three months and
you consider skipping your long run on a Saturday because
you would rather sleep in, it is easy to realize
that this may threaten your ability to run that marathon
on the date when it is supposed to happen, So
you will probably lace up your shoes and get going.
Maybe you don't do every run in your training plan,

(02:34):
you might get sick or be traveling for work, but
you do a lot of them because doing them will
help you finish. It seems so simple and obvious. Of course,
a specific goal with a specific deadline is motivating, and
yet we sometimes don't think we need such things, or

(02:55):
else we don't figure out how to create such goals.
For other things in our lives. For instance, if you
want your house to be decluttered, you are much more
likely to do it if a truck and three guys
will be showing up at your house in two weeks
for the two dozen boxes of donations that you promise them.

(03:16):
If you want to write a novel, doing the National
Novel Writing Month challenge with two friends is going to
be a lot more motivational than just thinking you will
write sometime. If you have a big presentation coming up,
then asking your work friends to set aside thirty minutes
to watch you rehearse is going to nudge you to

(03:38):
prepare the presentation by that time. You have a deadline
and you have people watching you definitely don't want to
screw this up. By giving yourself a reason to do
something like a deadline and accountability, you'll make it easier
to get it done. Even though I am intrinsically motivated

(04:00):
to run, I will probably sign up for a few
more races in the future. Perhaps you might find yourself
similarly motivated too. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks
for listening, and here's to making the most of our time.

(04:26):
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas,
or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at Laura
vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia.
For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

(04:49):
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.