YYou might call it the saddest of midlife crises, but as I turned 40 last year, I decided to dedicate myself to a long-neglected ambition – learning guitar. I set myself the task of dutifully practicing 30 minutes a day, with the aim of making my way through the Bob Dylan songbook by my 41st birthday.
Of course, what stood in the way was life. With work and family commitments, I was lucky to have half an hour of free time more than once or twice a week. Each day that passed without practice made me feel more discouraged, and the guitar soon began collecting dust next to my piano.
Then I came up with the idea of productivity snacking: dividing goals into bite-sized pieces that we squeeze in between our other responsibilities. Looking at the research, I found that we can accomplish much more than we might think, even with small bouts of activity. Most importantly, those small wins can do wonders for our motivation, making us more likely to achieve our goals than if we had set difficult goals.
My first source of inspiration came from the world of physical fitness. The World Health Organization recommends that we do at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous exerciseOne week. Yet many people struggle to meet this limit. Some research also shows that The mere existence of such an ambitious goal Actively discouraging. Simply put, they feel like they don’t have to worry at all if they don’t reach the recommended dosage.
As a result, sports scientists began to consider ways to break down fitness regimes and make them more accessible. very short intervals of physical activityEach lasting a few minutes – a practice sometimes known as “exercise snacking”. For example, if you’re working from home, you might do some press-ups after sitting at your desk for an hour; In the evening, you can jog on the spot during ad breaks while watching TV.
The results can be impressive. A recent reviews The literature concludes that these very short bursts of exercise can improve a range of health outcomes, including maximum oxygen uptake, resting blood pressure, and insulin levels. There is also new evidence that exercise snacking can enhance cognitive function and mental health. Importantly, the dropout rate in these interventions is extremely low, only 12% – the majority of people in each study continue to the end. This is impressive compared to other fitness programs, which typically see more than a third of participants fall off the wagon.
There are several reasons why breaking things down like this works. In In terms of sheer practicality, It’s easier to incorporate short exercises into the “in between” times of the day rather than taking a full hour. but there are also motivational benefits. Much research has shown that simply breaking things into smaller chunks can help make an activity less daunting, making us less likely to procrastinate. If you’re not already physically fit, the thought of a 30-minute jog or an hour-long aerobics class sounds exhausting, whereas a few minutes of star jumps seem much more manageable — making us more likely to try them.
Finally, there is “progress theory“. Each small victory increases our self-efficacy – our belief in our ability to bring about personal change. By giving ourselves more easily achievable goals, we experience Confidence increases more often – A pleasant buzz which means we are more likely to repeat the behavior.
This principle can be extended to many other areas of life, including creativity and learning. This may be a surprise given the well-known benefits of deep concentration and the obvious dangers of multitasking, but a bite-sized approach may come with its own cognitive benefits. For example, when generating ideas, repeatedly returning to a problem may benefit the brain, as it allows Issues to consider during brainstorming sessions. If you’re a writer experiencing creative block, returning to drafts in short periods of time rather than sitting in frustration for long periods of time can help.
Meanwhile, in education, it may help to avoid short, sweet study sessions.learn more“. This is a risk if you are lucky enough to make significant progress in a single sitting – after that, the gains may stagnate, and further practice does little to help consolidate the material for the future. This is why psychologists encourage “spaced practice”, which involves brief lessons separated by an appropriate time interval. The extra effort involved in remembering what you learned in the previous session helps your brain consolidate the knowledge.
As I found, it was surprisingly easy to implement this approach on guitar. During a work day, there were plenty of opportunities to pick up my device for a few minutes: in the middle of an interview, as a quick morning or afternoon break, or as a small reward for completing an article. This is not a replacement for extended sessions; Sometimes, I really need to immerse myself in a piece. But I think I can make better use of that time if I keep my skills fresh with small activities.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve found that microdosing my musical goals is a joy in itself. Learning an unfamiliar chord or picking my way through a new tune leaves me more energized than scrolling through social media, otherwise I could get past those awkward moments that way. Whatever other frustrations I face, I can look forward to the feeling of accomplishment that comes from holding my guitar and making a little progress. Productivity snacks are a pleasure in themselves.
David Robson is the author of The Laws of Connection (Canongate). To support the Guardian, order your copy here guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
Further reading
Highly efficient: optimize your brain and change the way you work By Mithu Storoni (The Yellow Kite, £16.99)
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink (Canongate, £10.99)
Guitar Zero: The Science of Learning to Be Musical by Gary Marcus (Oneworld, £16.99)
