I am back baby! After a brief hiatus, I am back to the blog. Why did I take a hiatus in the first place? I could say I was busy with travelling, but I wrote five posts before I stopped. The real reason is I fell out of the habit. I made the fatal mistake of missing twice. Missing once is recoverable, but missing twice is a habit killer.
It has taken me three and a half weeks since being back to write a post. Over that time I have been getting back into a routine, and building habits back up. This process has made me revisit the principles surrounding habits. Today I would like to discuss why habits are important, and strategies to build them. Many of the following concepts come from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Why are habits important?
Everyone knows that compound interest is the 8th Wonder of the World: $10 a day now becomes $10MM in 50 years. Well, habits are like the compound interest of life. One workout doesn’t appear to make a difference, but regular exercise leads to a healthy body. One day of Spanish lessons won’t make you fluent, but a lesson a day over a few years will.
Almost anything in life worth having/doing/being takes time to attain. Habits are the way one can stick to something long enough to receive compounding benefits. Habits make it possible to do things consistently. When you are in the habit of going to the gym, you go to the gym even on days that you don’t want to. If you only went to the gym when you were motivated, you would receive a fraction of the benefit. Habits are a form of discipline and “discipline eats motivation for breakfast” [1]. Being disciplined means just doing it no matter how you feel because it is what you do; it is your habit. Motivation is fleeting and depends on mental and emotional conditions.
Habits are like a crutch. When the going gets tough you can lean on the habits crutch. On the long journey to delayed compounding benefits, the crutch will undoubtedly be required.
Strategies for building habits
James Clear describes four rules for changing behaviour and building habits.
1 Make it obvious
Make it obvious when and where you will perform a habit. Make sure to set a time or a time limit on the habit. Be specific so that you are clear on whether the habit was performed.
2 Make it attractive
Understand the benefits of a habit. Going for a run may suck, but being healthy doesn’t suck. Frame the habits in a way they are attractive and the reward is clear.
3 Make it easy
Make the habit so easy that you cannot fail. Don’t start by going to the gym and working out until you puke. Start with short and easy workouts you are able to stick to. Additionally, create an environment that makes it easy to perform the habit. Pack your gym bag the night before so there is less friction going to the gym in the morning.
4 Make it satisfying
Find a way to make the habit rewarding. What we find immediately rewarding is repeated. This can be tracking the habit and having a sense of satisfaction checking off each day.
I find that 3 Make it easy is the most effective technique for me. I tell myself that I will sit down and just write the outline for a post rather than the entire thing. Or that I will go to the gym and just have a quick workout. Lowering the bar is usually enough to get me started, and once I am started I always end up doing more.
Habits and Identity
My favourite quote from the book is:
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.
This quote illustrates how habits are a reflection of your identity. You begin a habit because you want to be a certain kind of person. If you didn’t care about being healthy, then why would you exercise? I want to be a good writer, so I started the habit of writing a blog post weekly(ish, hard ish).
This view provides more meaning to habits. It ties small actions to a larger goal and makes goals centred around inputs, rather than outcomes. Rather than having the goal of a newsletter with 1000 subscribers (outcome-based), I can have the goal of writing a newsletter every week for two years (input based). This is something entirely in my control and if I meet the input goal, the outcome goal will likely happen as a result.
Summary
I strongly believe in the compounding nature of our actions. Focusing on doing the small things each day will lead to the big things over time. In this way, consistency matters more than intensity. Habits and discipline are tools used to achieve consistency, and thus achieve big things.
– Mitch
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years. - Bill Gates
Favourite Things of The Week
🔊 How to Take Over the World Podcast - Thomas Edison
A podcast on the life of Thomas Edison. My main takeaway is to be a tinker.
🔊 My Fist Million Podcast
Listened to a few episodes this week. A few decent nuggets, but mostly I enjoy the casual/bantery nature of the pod.
⛰️ Canmore
Had a great weekend in Canmore with the whole gang before everyone disperses. Reminisced on previous Canmore memories and shenanigans which was nice.
Quote of the Week
Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years. - Bill Gates