Our brain loves routine, Whether you deliberately create it or not, it doesnt care. It creates habits to save energy and automate most of our daily behavivour. This is why we have habits like brushing our teeth, taking a shower, taking specific coffee in the morning, etc. We dont have to think about it, we just do it. Brain doesnt have top think about habit.
It like a scheduled python cron job.
But what if we could use this to our advantage? What if we could create habits that would help us achieve our goals? What if we could create habits that would help us become better people?
Most people dont realize that they can program their brain to perform the habits that will guide them to their goals. So they dont spend their time designing their habits, they just let their (often third class) environment do it for them.
Habits are powerful, not only constructively but also destructively. Habits can either make or break your personality.
Habits are the reason why people complain about failing to achieve their goals and yet keep doing the same things. I think habits are one of the crucial part of optimally designing your life and it gets majorly ignored.
Working on your habits, building them according to the future that you want is equivalent to sharpening your saw. It is the most important thing that you can do to improve your life.
Habits if not given direction tend to default to whatever environment you live in or what you feel comfortable. Avoiding pain and seeking pleasure.
The key to creating a habit is consistency. You have to do it every day. And the more you do it, the easier it gets. And once you do it for a long time, it becomes a part of your identity. It becomes a part of you. It becomes your habit.
It totally depends upon context, your personality and what you value in life.
Bad habit is not designing good habits.
There are some habits that I think everyone should abide by regardless of wherever they are in life. These habits may sound like generic action that you have already heard of, but they are the most important habits that you can have. They are the foundation of all other habits and life.
Some of them are:
Below is my advice on each of them
If you are not reading, and just gaining information/stories from social media or your friend circle, you are missing out on so much. Reading is the best way to learn about the world and yourself. It is also the best way to learn about new ideas and new ways of thinking.
You should read books, not just any books/clickbaity online article but good books. Smart people before you have already shared their insights and stories in books. you wont find anything like this anywhere.
People who have done something great read regularly, because they are constantly growing. They have hunger for improved way of doing things
Read what is recommended. This is where you can find quality books to read. It doesnt matter if you finish the book. No one is forcing you to. If you dont like it try another book. Dont expect anything. Just read.
Another option is audiobooks. You can listen to them while doing other things. I personally use audiobooks as a form of re-reading. I have read a lot of books and I dont remember everything. So I listen to audiobooks to refresh my memory. Also remember to reread books that you have read before. You will find new insights every time you read it.
I have already written a detailed post about writing regularly. Below is the tldr;
Writing regularly makes you concious of your own thoughts and makes you a better communicator.
It is a practice to become mindfull of your own thoughts. Its seeing yourself in third person instead of first person. Writing regularly makes you concious of your own emotions.
Writing is the primary way I think.
Regularly exercising helps your body to stay healthy and improve your attentiveness. Its a fact, there is not a single doubt about it. Yet most people ignore it. I think its because they dont know how to start. They dont know how to make it a habit.
Start small. I started with just 30 mins walk everyday. Find a walking partner if you can. It will help you to stick to it. Also, try to find Natural areas to walk. It will help you to be more mindful and present.
Then I increased the exercise duration or type of exercise. For eg 15 mins walk + 15 min slow jogging. This way, the whole workout feels challenging and novel. Try to learn everything about exercises and routines if you can. It will help you to stick to it.
Habits are foundation of life. They are the most important thing that you can do to improve your life. If you conciously design your habits, let them become part of your personality, you will be able to achieve your goals.
I hope you found this post useful. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to me on twitter