A Brief Overview:
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
- “The way to build an intentional future that is sustainable, is to understand the habits you have” – Juliet Morris
Habits are formed in our subconscious and over a long period of time and if people don’t do that habit or try and change it, it feels uncomfortable. The opposite of this is true of routines.
If you skip breakfast one day or forget to brush your teeth, it may be annoying and cause an interruption but it doesn’t feel overly uncomfortable.
If you avoid one difficult conversation and then another, it forms a habit and builds emotions such as fear and avoidance.
- Understand what habits and routines you have.
- Take action on the one thing that will make the biggest difference, and turn it into a game. Celebrate the actions you are taking – reward the change – so you can wire the positive actions into your brain.
- Remind yourself that whilst it is difficult at the start, you can create new habits.
Many people go around trying to change lots of things at once. Spending more time on one thing may feel difficult, but you can soon create a new habit.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says “10 years or 1 hour. Those are the two time frames worth prioritising. 10 years is shorthand for thinking longer-term than nearly everyone else and doing things that are really ambitious or meaningful. Most of the deeply meaningful things in life require long time horizons: building a business, cultivating a happy marriage, growing a family, getting in the best shape of your life, etc.
How do you work toward the 10-year things? In 1 hour increments. 1 hour is shorthand for doing things that can be accomplished from start to finish in a single session like a good workout, a good writing session, reading a chapter of a book, going on a fun date, etc. The key is that you finish with something accomplished, not with half-work still waiting to be completed.
If you spend 1 hour working toward a 10-year project—and you repeat this day after day—you’re going to end up living a lovely life.”
