It’s easy to see the library as a hassle. Who wants to wait around for weeks for a book to become available, then be bound by a two week period to read it? I know I used to hate this process. If I wasn’t ready to read that book, then I was forced to confront the shame of returning the book earlier (or the shame of late fees).
But the constraints of the library are really a gift. The gift of a deadline.
When you check out a book from the library the constraints aren’t negotiable, and you can almost find peace in that certainty. You don’t get that book to read someday. You have to start now.
You can do this same thing elsewhere in life to force action. But constraints for the sake of constraints don’t do much good. They have to carry weight. Perhaps a penalty for violating them. You might have the willpower to psyche yourself up to run every morning. But perhaps a better way to force your behavior is to sign up for a race. Once the deadline is there, you have no choice but to act.