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The challenge with saving energy isn\u2019t so much about what to do. It\u2019s about maintaining the motivation to do it.<\/p>\n
Because If you\u2019re motivated, you\u2019ll make all those tiny decisions that ultimately affect your energy bill at the end of the month.<\/p>\n
Most people know what to do. But for their own reasons, they just don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n
So, the difficulty really rests between your ears. Fortunately, modern psychology can teach a lot about finding and maintaining the motivation necessary to create new habits (which is what saving energy really is).<\/p>\n
1. Set a Realistic, Specific, Small, and Measurable Goal <\/strong><\/p>\n When you actually achieve your energy savings goal, you feel happy and excited that you hit it.<\/p>\n So, don\u2019t go overboard your first month and set a goal of cutting your electricity use by 50%.<\/p>\n Start with something you know you can probably hit, like a 5-10% reduction or so. Once you achieve success, it has a way of snowballing and turning into more success.<\/p>\n 2. Prepare to Handle Setbacks<\/strong><\/p>\n They will happen. No one is perfect.<\/p>\n Before you even set out to achieve greater energy savings, have a plan for how you will handle inevitable setbacks.<\/p>\n When trying to start any new habit, many people, when they first hit failure, will let that failure snowball into more and more failure. And not long after they\u2019ve started on their adventure to create their new habit, they\u2019ve already given up.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s say that in your second month of energy savings, you end up using more energy than you did in the same month last year. You might say to yourself, \u201dOh no. I didn\u2019t hit my goal. I can\u2019t do anything right.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s unrealistic. Instead, when your mind tells you factually untrue things like that, reframe them to, \u201dWell, I made a mistake. But, I can learn from the mistake I made, change my behavior, and hit my goal next month.\u201d<\/p>\n The latter helps you maintain your motivation.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/powermepronto.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/bigstock-222913912.jpg\")
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