Use habit forming techniques to push through your motivation dip and maintain consistent learning and practice.

The Hook is a simple repetitive process designed to have an someone form a long-lasting habit. Currently used in marketing, as well as by casinos and video game designers, it aims to form addicted customers by encouraging involuntary consumer behaviours.

Morally reprehensible, right!

Yup! But like all super-powers, they have the capacity to be used positively or negatively.

In this instance, we want the Hook to bring positive and useful change to your life by forming a positive, growth-based habit.

Here’s how!

Repeatedly step through the following four inter-linked phases;

• Trigger – A cue that encourages you to take action
• Action – Something you do in anticipation of a reward
• Reward – pleasure/pain, hope/fear, social acceptance/rejection
• Investment – create an expectation around future benefit and eventually integrate the habit into your sense of personal identity

So how does this work with motivating your learning process?

• Trigger – Use alarms and reminders to trigger the action of studying. Form associations between your study and a specific location in the house.
• Action – Engaging in the learning -assessment-feedback process
• Reward – Rewards linked to your self-efficacy work best. Celebrating the completion of a body of work or achieving a particular grade on a test are good, but focusing on the positive effect of your efforts and their contribution towards your long-term goals will help reinforce your growth mindset. These intrinsic rewards are more effective motivation-reward strategies.
• Investment – Find ways for you to link your area of study to other aspects of your life so the process of engaging with material is linked to your personal identity. In addition, viewing yourself as a lifelong learning will encourage you to walk through the Hook again because your self-image will become related to the process of learning itself

Remember that the last step is key to having you step through the process again.

For more detailed description of the Hook, do a Google search for Nir Eyal