Hi, I'm Shingo Suzuki, also known as Suzushin.
Looking back through this blog, I noticed something: I'd unconsciously used the same way of staying consistent twice, in completely different areas.
I announce something publicly first, making it harder to back out. It's often called public commitment, or an effect of following through on what you've said.
I'd like to explore that by looking at what actually happened in my own posts.
Example one: resetting my blog more than ten times
The first example is my story of resetting the blog over ten times.
In that article, I publicly committed to using systems to keep going this time. One major reason I stopped blogging was feeling as though I was talking to myself with nobody reading. Making that very monologue public created a situation where I couldn't quietly retreat as easily.
Example two: my no-spending Octopath Traveler challenge
The second is my recently started no-spending run of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.
When I wrote that announcement, I hadn't even downloaded the game. I declared I'd start because I'd quickly lost interest in many mobile RPGs before.
Precisely because I worried I'd quit again, I wanted a public announcement to make continuing a little easier.
What the two examples share
Looking back, they have some things in common:
- I used the approach when I knew I was prone to quitting or losing interest.
- I had no achievements or results yet when announcing either challenge.
- In both announcements, I openly admitted worry and lack of confidence.
For me, this isn't about announcing something because I'm certain I'll finish. I use it to close off an easy retreat precisely because I'm not confident.
Why it seems to work for me
I've said that feeling as though nobody reads my solitary thoughts is a main reason my blogs end up reset.
Perhaps the other side of that is that feeling seen by someone can motivate me to continue. That may be why announcing things suits me reasonably well.
Of course, an announcement doesn't magically create consistency. Octopath Traveler has only just begun, and I honestly don't know whether I'll keep playing. Even so, I think I've created better conditions than if I'd quietly started alone.
I'm doing the same on note
I used the same method in announcing that I'd start publishing on note.
Writing “I'll try note” first makes it harder to retreat. Looking back, this approach seems to have helped me quite a bit.
If I lack confidence, I announce it first
The less certain I am that I'll stick with something, the more reason I have to say it publicly first.
That's my current way of staying consistent.
I don't think it suits everyone. But if you know you tend to give up after a few days when working alone, it may be worth a try.
I'll keep announcing new challenges before starting whenever possible. I'll share the successes and failures honestly, and I'd be happy if you'd keep following along.