Go to the gym , do mental health walks, eat more healthily, practice gratitude? We’ve all heard that advice and probably been given it by well meaning professionals. Who then wonder why we have poor compliance.

Unless you’ve also got remarkable self discipline, you are not likely to be able to do those without some considerable effort and there is a simple reason why not.

Because they’re boring, hard work and don’t offer immediate feedback.

Who wants to go for a walk if its raining. Who wants to go to the gym, get hot and tired and not see any results for weeks or months? Why eat that healthy balance of plants, proteins and starches that apparently will help improve longevity if its dull, bland and tedious.

When choosing an activity to do, or trying to make a change, it has to fulfil at least three of the following criteria:

Practical, physical, productive, progressive, pleasurable, profitable, purposeful.

Food, exercise, learning, they all need at least 3 from that list.

So rather than just going to the gym (physical), work out how to make it purposeful and progressive, so you get a little hit of reward from doing it. Don’t just lay up the plate of plants and nuts because you’ve seen an influencer doing it online, but make sure its actually pleasurable and purposeful as well.