The Art of Manliness

Finally Follow Through


Listen Later

You get really excited about an idea to start an exercise program, or become a better partner, or get organized. And then you do . . . nothing. Absolutely nothing.

It's said that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Even if they don't send you straight to Hades, good intentions, that go unfulfilled, can lead to real suffering. When you fail to act on your perennial plans for progress, you end up feeling frustrated, demoralized, and stuck.

My guest is a clinical psychologist who has spent his career obsessed with how to tackle this stubborn issue of human existence. His name is Steve Levinson, and he's the co-author of Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model for Finishing Whatever You Start. Steve first explains the unhelpful ideas we have about why we don't follow through and that its real cause comes down to a tension between two different systems within us. He then shares the ah-ha moment he had as to how to reconcile these systems in order to consistently follow through on your intentions and offers strategies on how to put his follow-through method into practice. We end our conversation with the idea that the greatest strategy for increasing your follow-through is treating your intentions with a seriousness that borders on the sacred.

Resources Related to the Podcast
  • AoM Article: Stop Procrastinating Today With Behavioral Science
  • AoM Podcast #444: How to Use the Procrastination Equation to Start Getting Things Done
  • AoM Article: What Gandhi and a 19th-Century Prussian Prince Can Teach You About Making Unbreakable Resolutions
  • Sunday Firesides: Lash Yourself to the Mast
  • AoM Article: The Power of Temptation Bundling
  • Sunday Firesides: Do You Take This Habit . . . ?
  • Connect With Steve Levinson
    • FollowingThrough website
    • Steve on LinkedIn
    • See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The Art of ManlinessBy The Art of Manliness

      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      14,109 ratings


      More shows like The Art of Manliness

      View all
      The Ramsey Show by Ramsey Network

      The Ramsey Show

      39,109 Listeners

      The Mark Divine Show by Mark Divine

      The Mark Divine Show

      1,661 Listeners

      Order of Man by Ryan Michler

      Order of Man

      8,933 Listeners

      The Dad Edge Podcast by Larry Hagner

      The Dad Edge Podcast

      1,520 Listeners

      Jocko Podcast by Jocko DEFCOR Network

      Jocko Podcast

      30,820 Listeners

      The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson

      The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast

      33,493 Listeners

      Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman by Ramsey Network

      Front Row Seat with Ken Coleman

      2,601 Listeners

      Stoic Coffee Break by Erick Cloward

      Stoic Coffee Break

      400 Listeners

      The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

      The Peter Attia Drive

      8,066 Listeners

      The Daily Stoic by Daily Stoic | Backyard Ventures

      The Daily Stoic

      4,834 Listeners

      The Dan John Podcast by Dan John

      The Dan John Podcast

      259 Listeners

      The Daily Dad by Daily Dad

      The Daily Dad

      580 Listeners

      Deep Questions with Cal Newport by Cal Newport

      Deep Questions with Cal Newport

      1,319 Listeners

      Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

      Huberman Lab

      29,330 Listeners

      Practical Stoicism by Evergreen Podcasts

      Practical Stoicism

      625 Listeners