When I was a kid, I loved to listen to the conversations of my older family members. I remember my grandfather telling the story of how he built a wall around his property, by himself. At the time I thought it was a boring story but, 20 years later, I still remember the simplicity of the lesson.
He told us that every day, he would go outside and lay a few bricks, then leave it for the next day. That is it. A few bricks a day, every day, for weeks. Before he knew it, there was a wall surrounding his yard. He was not in a rush to get the wall completed; he did not spend extra money hiring people to build it for him. He knew that it would be finished and he stuck to it until it was done.
We can take this simple lesson and integrate it into anything that we want to grow.
If you want to make a habit of improving yourself every day, you need to start by doing it. Every. Day.
Photo by Katrina Wright on Unsplash
- Start Small
We are creatures of habit and trying to force ourselves into big dramatic change does not often work for long.
If you can break down a skill into a short and attractive action, you will be much more likely to complete it every day.
Let us say that you want to learn how to play the guitar. If you start by making the commitment to practicing for 10 minutes every day, that is a manageable goal.
- Create a Trigger
The other side of creating a long-term habit is to organize some aspect of your life to remind you to complete the practice.
This could be as easy as putting your guitar on your couch at night. When you get up the next morning, you are reminded to practice when you try to sit on the couch. You would have to actively move the guitar out of your way in order to avoid practicing.
Being forced to pick up the guitar will remind you that you have not yet practiced that day and will trigger you to practice.
People use the same trick for wanting to work out more. They set out their workout clothes the night before so that when they get up in the morning, they are reminded to be active.
- Track Your Habits
Our brains love getting rewards. An easy way to give yourself a dopamine-pat-on-the-back is to record when you complete a habit.
My favorite method is to get a big desk calendar and mark the days that I complete a habit. This quickly shows me how regularly I am doing the habit and it motivates me to keep completing the habit so I can fill the calendar up.
You can also go paper-free and use your favorite productivity or calendar app.
- Give it Time
When we are young, we want to race towards the finish line without inhibitions. However, our bodies and minds prefer regularity and will respond better when we start slow and build up gradually.
Think about the difference in time that our tendons take to grow versus how fast our muscles become strong. Although it takes, on average, tendons 2-3 months longer to respond to training than muscles, tendon strength will help you to get stronger for much longer.
Take the time to lay a strong foundation for your habits, it will make it easier for you to stick with them for longer.
If you want to learn more about how to continually improve yourself, check out Atomic Habits by James Clear. It is on my reading list so if you finish it before me, let me know what you think!
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