“Success is the product of daily habits – not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” – James Clear in Atomic Habits.
Most of us dream of big transformations – getting fit, becoming productive, following active healthy habits. But did you realise that these dramatic overhauls will happen only when you start taking consistent small steps?
Don’t you think most of your shortcomings are due to some (mostly just one) habit that’s not in sync with your requirements?
Things like being chronically late most of the time, unsuccessfully following multiple diet programs through the year, regular ill health or just plain getting stressed at the drop of a hat?
You’ve got this one life and why are you messing it up?
Forget the new set of New Year resolutions (you were anyways going to abandon them sooner or later), and work on a shift in your thinking.
Change is always possible if you’re honest with yourself and aware of what’s lacking and what needs to be done.
Lifestyle Habits (and the Excuses) Holding You Back
Yep, the majority of your problems stem from the lifestyle you follow, your lifestyle habits.
Delaying, postponing, procrastinating – all different words for the same results. Your reasons may vary from over-planning or polishing the outcome or trying to be more productive. But it’s still not getting the job done – on time.
A study from the Psychological Bulletin found that chronic procrastinators often struggle with self-doubt and fear of failure, which keeps the cycle of delay going.
Another lifestyle habit is the over-dependence on gadgets. In the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, the author states that the average number of notifications on the phones of young people from various apps, be it social or communication apps or work-related, is nearly 192 alerts per day. That’s almost 11 notifications for every waking hour or one every 5 minutes! That’s shocking, isn’t it?
With such frequent distractions, what do you think is going to happen to your productivity? Forget improvements, it’s only going to head downhill.
Next comes the diet. Keto, vegan, low carb, no carb, intermittent, etc. etc. All good but are you disciplined enough to follow them in the way suggested?
There’s no point in following any of these fancy diets if you don’t follow a proper healthy habit of having your meals on time, or as suggested by your dietician.
Can’t skip talking about sleep here. With the phones in bed, you’re not getting your needed hours of rest and sleep gets badly affected. You know the impact of the blue light and the long exposure to screens, so then why aren’t you taking care?
If you argue that, I relax during weekends by binge-watching my favourite shows, then you’re off-course again. How’re you dealing with the loss of sleep and relaxation?
If your excuse for not eating your meals on time or being buried under a pile of work is because you’re too busy, then you’re helping no one. It’s time to seriously review your working style which is impacting your productivity.
Keep those excuses aside. They’re meant to appease your guilt. They certainly don’t help your cause or impress others around.
– I don’t have time.
– This is just how I am.
– It’s not that bad.
– I’ll change when things settle down.
These are unconvincing, almost childish, excuses for covering up your inability to take charge of your life.
But each of these excuses can be used to find the actual causes. It creates self-awareness, of being honest to yourself.
Take a moment to think why is it like that? Are you too busy because you haven’t learned to say NO or are you using it as an excuse to look too busy?
It’s time to review now rather than regret it later.
Ripple Effect of Small Positive Changes
All it needs is a small, almost unnoticeable, change from you.
It’s a micro habit-building process. It’s so small that you won’t feel upset by it. But by sticking with it you’ll make the much-required but delayed progress.
If you’re a habitual procrastinator, then give yourself 2 or 5 minutes to deal with the job or whatever you’re postponing.
Once you start doing it, you’ll find it easy to keep going. It was the starting that needed the nudge and your 2 minutes will provide it just that.
If you can’t stay away from your beloved phone, then keep it out of your vision. If it’s absolutely needed at work, then put the notifications from other apps, like social media, on silent. No pings, no distraction.
And no, you can’t take the phone to bed. You need it for the morning alarm? Fine, set the alarm and keep it away from the bed. You’ll have to actually get out of bed to stop it when it rings. Added benefit, don’t you think?
If it’s unhealthy eating habits then carry some quick healthy snacks with you. Let your friends or colleagues laugh and crack jokes at your expense. But the jokes on them when they notice the positive changes in you. You may even become their role model and motivate them to make the switch to clean eating habits.
Learn to say No. You’re not Atlas to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Be respectful and politely refuse to take the extra work. Prioritise yourself first and focus on your self-care.
Can’t drag yourself to the gym? Then try walking more. Walk around the office floor. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Do a few stretches in between work.
Walking to the cafeteria to pick up a sandwich or a doughnut is not counted.
Start small and be consistent. Try drinking a glass of water before each meal for better health; write down the main 3 task for the day before you open the email to increase your productivity; read for 5 minutes before bedtime to get yourself off the phone and improve your sleep quality.
Every area of your life can benefit with this new system. Be it your relationships, financial habits or learning.
Like start with saving just ten rupees or $1 a day and tracking your expenses for the week. Notice the surprising changes.
Or spend just 15 minutes a day to learning something. I noticed encouraging progress when I started learning a new language.
Choose Progress Over Perfection
These tiny changes hold the key to a better you. They’re gradually building up the larger transformations that will be revealed soon.
Not just you, but everyone around you, will notice the changes.
Those small changes will gradually form into habits that will bring about positive changes in your lifestyle.
Maybe improves the quality of sleep, makes you more productive and organised, reduces your stress, and makes you feel lighter and healthier.
It’s all in the mind. Don’t jump start. Your mind will resist the sudden changes. Every big win begins with a simple small step repeated over and over again. Unveil the better version of you this year!
Remember progress beats perfection. What’s the one small habit you can change today to create a better you tomorrow?
