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Harnessing the Power of Activation Energy

Writer's picture: Linda Meier Abdelsayed, LMFTLinda Meier Abdelsayed, LMFT

Most of us have lived our lives never hearing the term "activation energy". I myself, didn't learn about it until I read Shawn Achor's The Happiness Advantage years after I had graduated from my Master's program. But knowing, understanding, and utilizing activation energy has changed the way that I live my life.


According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary activation energy is "the minimum amount of energy required to convert a normal stable molecule into a reactive molecule". It is a term clearly used in science, but in positive psychology all this means is that activation energy is the amount of energy or time it takes someone to start something. Have you ever sat down on the couch to watch TV and when you realized you would have to get up again to grab the TV remote decided to mess around on your phone instead? OR have you ever opened a bag of chips rather than quickly wash some fruit to eat for your mid afternoon snack? The reason for why you didn't choose the first thing (e.g. getting up to get the remote, or washing the fruit) was because the activation energy required to do those things was too high.


For most humans, anything that takes longer than 20 seconds to start, is something that we are far less likely to do (Shawn Achor). Washing fruit takes longer than 20 seconds, responding to that annoying email takes longer than 20 seconds, and reading a long list of slack messages after your hour long meeting definitely takes longer than 20 seconds to complete. And so for most humans, those tasks end up getting ignored.


How to Break the Cycle

Now that you know what activation energy is, you can use it to your advantage. Take a look at your current goals. They can be work or personal goals. Once you have created your list of goals, all you have to do is figure out "how can I start this goal in less than 20 seconds?". Here are some common goals people have and ways to get under that specific 20 second mark:


  1. Eating Healthier - We have all had this goal before. We want to eat more fruits and vegetables but the idea of having to make them fresh every day sounds exhausting (especially if you are taking back-to-back meetings). So instead, try cutting up the fruit into bite size pieces and putting them into individual portion containers right after you went grocery shopping. You're already in the kitchen putting things away, you might as well cut up the fruits and veggies now. Maybe even put in your headphones and watch a show or listen to a podcast while you cut it up. Yes, this takes waaay longer than 20 seconds. BUT, by grouping it with the grocery shopping chore, you are actually setting yourself up for success later. Now, when you crave that mid afternoon snack, you can just open up your fridge, grab that Tupperware of fruit that's already portioned out, and start munching away.

  2. Exercise - "I'll start on Monday". I don't know why we believe that Monday is the day to start all of our new goals (well the ones we don't actually want to do). To help with activation energy plan everything out the night before. Have you workout outfit right next to your bed, the socks are in the shoes, and the shoes are by the door. Have the water bottle ready to go as well as any snack that you might want to eat before you work out. Like that, there are no choices that need to be made on Monday morning when you wake up ready to exercise.



These are just two small examples of how you can use the knowledge of activation energy to your advantage. Try it out yourself and see how you do. Find a goal that you've been wanting to meet but simply haven't been able to and then figure out what would be required to meet the activation energy.

Feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment if you have a specific goal in mind and would like some additional support in creating the appropriate steps and recognizing the activation required to meet your goals.

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