Think about the person you want to become. Habits are the compass that will lead you there. A 1% change daily or weekly is much more useful than one big week of a change event.
People are always making these big proclamations that they are going to change their life. Realistically, that isn’t sustainable. The best way to change is to make small habit changes. Someone who hasn’t been to the gym for years then decides they will go five times a week and will most likely stop. It’s better to make a small daily change that you add into your everyday routine; this is how your habits change.
For example, I wanted to get into the habit of meditating in the morning. When I first tried to implement it, I set the bar at 10 minutes each morning. I kept going on and off. This is because my bar was too high, so it wasn’t sustainable. Then I heard on the Tim Ferris show, set the bar as low as possible. I changed my strategy instead of 10 minutes each morning, even if I did it for one minute, it counted. I was shooting for consistency. In 2019, I meditated on 330/357 days. This included a lot more sessions at 5 or 10 minutes. It feels weird to me to not meditate now, since that habit has been built. Here are some strategies to help you change a habit:
Identify the area you want to change – Is it your health? Would you like to learn a language? Do you want to quit smoking? Where do you have a habit that is leading you where you don’t want to be.
Think of the smallest thing you can do daily or weekly to result in that change – A 1% daily change will compound over time, leading you to the place you want to be.
Look at your current routine, and see where you can add or replace something – A great place to start is a commute. Most likely, you listen to the radio daily in the morning or an entertainment podcast. Could you change that to an inspiring audiobook or a podcast over a topic you want to learn? Another habit I love is walking. This is because it helps your health, and you can combine it with another great habit. After dinner or lunch, try to add walking around the block daily. Some ideas you could add while walking are audiobooks, no phone, silence, bringing your significant other and talking to improve your relationship, etc. It is a powerful habit combination.
Track it for consistency – I get it; I hate tracking stuff too. When you measure it, you begin to have a dopamine feedback loop. When you see you have walked for the last ten days, you don’t want to lose that streak. This will further help entrench the habit in your brain. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated; make a chart, and post it on your fridge or wall. With just an X if you accomplished it that day.
With all significant events habits proceed. Look for small changes daily, and you will be surprised how far you come in a year. This will change the compass for your life. See below some of my favorite books and podcasts on habits:
https://www.jordanharbinger.com/james-clear-forming-atomic-habits-for-astronomic-results/