The Ulysses Pact
The Ulysses Pact is a technique for holding yourself accountable to stick with a goal even when it’s hard. The key ingredient in a Ulysses Pact is that we make a choice in the present (when things are relatively easy) that binds us to perform an action in the future (when things are hard). For example, suppose you want to stick to a plan of going for a run two times per week in the morning with a friend. You could write your friend a series of checks, each for $20, and instruct them to cash one and use the money on whatever they want if you miss a workout with them.
57
893 reads
Similar ideas to The Ulysses Pact
Block out distractions
Use 'pact' like a way to pre-commit to an outcome when you know you're likely to get distracted.
This could be as simple as working with a friend for a set period of time where you keep each other accountable.
Look for Accountability
Share your goals with your spouse or a good friend.
When there is someone else other than yourself holding you accountable, you are more likely to get your tasks completed throughout the week.
Missed Habits
We tend to get disappointed with ourselves and get hard on ourselves when we miss a habit because we try our best to stick to it.
However, if taken to an extreme, it backfires on you most of the time. Being overly dramatic towards a small mishap is unnecessary. The world ...
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Personalized microlearning
—
100+ Learning Journeys
—
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates