One day, I decided to conduct an audit of my habits, both good and bad. Despite intending to adopt new habits and achieve personal growth goals. I often experience self-defeat and frustration when I fail to follow through. Frequently, this occurs due to procrastination, difficulty in staying motivated, or perceiving the desired habit as too challenging. I required a fresh approach to interrupt the cycle of good intentions that ultimately resulted in half-hearted attempts. Reading “Atomic Habits” by James Clear provided me with practical concepts on how to incorporate new habits into my life and make them sustainable. James Clear discusses “The Four Laws of Behavior Change,” which are a straightforward set of guidelines for creating better habits. The laws include:
Make it obvious
Make it attractive
Make it easy
Make it satisfying
Recognising that the problem was my system (or the absence of it) was an excellent beginning. I focused on improving my system rather than setting goals to achieve better results.
Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are better for making progress.
After implementing James’s system for a month on a few small habits, I feel obligated to share what was effective for me:
I utilised habit stacking by coupling a new habit with an existing one. For instance, I incorporated meditation after my nightly teeth-brushing routine. I began my meditation practice with 5 minutes and gradually increased it by 2 minutes daily until I reached 20 minutes. This incremental method enabled me to accomplish my objective consistently and sustainably.
To increase my chances of success in learning Spanish, I made sure to optimize my study environment by setting up a dedicated space with easy access to all my notes and resources. Additionally, I made the most of my commute to work by downloading and listening to Spanish podcasts.
If you’re struggling to read more, taking your book to a local cafe could be a great way to make the activity more enjoyable and satisfying. This simple change helped me to establish a positive association between reading and the enjoyable environment, making it more likely that you’ll continue the habit in the future. Plus, the change of scenery and the ability to people-watch can make the experience all the more enjoyable. So next time you find yourself struggling to get through a book, consider taking it to your favourite cafe for a change of pace.
To conclude, there’s no need to feel frustrated with yourself. You can replace your bad habits with better ones by recognizing that the problem lies in your system rather than your attention or motivation. A quote from the book that deeply resonated with me is, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” This emphasizes the significance of cultivating positive habits and eliminating negative ones from our lives, as they are instrumental in shaping the person we aspire to become. Another favorite quote of mine from the book is, “If you want to predict where you’ll end up in life, all you have to do is follow the curve of tiny gains or tiny losses, and see how your daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the line.
