“You are not your grand plans. You are your daily patterns.” – James Clear
James Clear is expected to suggest building your life through small daily actions. Nothing wrong with that.
Making big plans comes naturally. Each of us is guilty of this indulgence.
Lose weight or wake up early or eat healthy, be punctual, get my act together.
The list is endless. And you feel so much more productive just by thinking about the change that would come as a result of these plans.
What happens then?
Life makes its own plans and you find yourself distracted from your goals. It’s easy to blame life; makes you feel less guilty.
But is that the truth?
Your actions define you. You’re identified by what you do repeatedly, and not by your intent.
People will notice you’re regularly exercising before they notice you’ve lost weight.
Your improved productivity may not be obvious but people will notice your organised work, your punctuality, your time management skills.
What catches attention is your consistent actions. The end result becomes the noticeable outcome.
Why Plans Feel Powerful (But Often Aren’t)
If the repeated actions lead to results, then why do you make plans? Because they give you clarity, provide motivation, bring a sense of control and direction to your abstract dreams.
But plans are like the one-time decision.
“I’ve to lose weight.”
“I’ve to exercise regularly.”
“I’ve to reach office on time.”
But they don’t guarantee consistent actions. Yes, they provide the direction. But it’s for you to build the way forward.
Often planning is substituted for progress. And that’s where the plan fails. Making a plan is not the same as taking action.
Ask yourself how many plans have you made that never translated into action? Never mind, its painful admitting some truths.
If you want to do something, you’ll find the way beyond the grand plan.
The Power of Daily Patterns
I’ll tell you why the large majority fall into the abyss between goals and systems. They don’t plan for the required actions.
The plan can be simple – lose weight, exercise more, wake up early, be punctual, whatever else you want.
But to turn that plan into something concrete needs daily habits which will quietly shape the outcomes over time.
These will be small, doable actions which will compound daily. And they can work both ways, positively or negatively.
Say, you wake up late daily and then your day goes from one chaos to another. It’s the result of that one small action of getting up late which creates the cumulative result at the end of the day.
I decided to write not because I had any plans of becoming a writer. I began because I found writing helped me clear my head, think with clarity.
What began as a casual activity online eventually transformed into a full blown daily routine. People began noticing my writings. The daily effort led to noticeable long-term results.
It moved beyond the planning stage, and into the action stage. And it happened effortlessly simply because of my consistent habit of writing.
Designing Better Habits
So, do you agree that change doesn’t come from rewriting your goals (or shifting the goal posts) but from aligning your routines to your goals?
It may look like a lot of effort, or that you’ve to make some life altering decisions. But in reality, it’s quite simple.
Just make one or two small changes in your routine. Go one habit at a time. Reduce the friction for good habits, and vice versa.
Say for example, you want to wake up early, or well in time, then set your alarm accordingly. Set two different alarms and place them away from the bed, forcing you to get out of bed.
Or keep your gym wear and shoes ready the night before so you don’t slack.
It will be a little difficult the first few days but then it will all fall in line. You’ll feel better once you notice the positive changes.
If you don’t agree, just review your current routine and see what it says about you.
Becoming What You Repeatedly Do
Making plans is the easiest part. What needs effort is creating an action plan which requires daily habits.
It’s these daily habits which will define you, which will ensure your goal is achievable.
The daily patterns become your support structure, helping you convert your big plans into reality.
Don’t get turned off by those who jest about your routines. They’re envious of what you’re able to achieve.
Become an inspiration for others by showing them how easy it is to improve your life with some small tweaks.
What would your daily routine reveal about who you’re becoming?
