We’re into the new year and everyone’s talking about resolutions and goals… lose weight, quit drinking, teach yourself some new skills. Yet something like 1 in 3 folks give up before the end of the first month. What gives?
I’m cutting to the punchline on this one: ‘Change’ by itself sounds so big and ominous. But it’s not. At its core, change is just making the ‘right’ decision toward the outcome you want enough time that it becomes a natural occurrence…a HABIT so that you no longer have to think about it as ‘change’. It becomes NORMAL.
Case in point: whenever I have a change I want to accomplish in my life, I first break it down into small behaviors I can do every day. See if you follow me. What if I want to lose 15 lbs? I immediately shift gears AWAY from 15lbs and to the following 3 behaviors.
1. Eat paleo / slow carb every day
2. Move my body in some fashion every day + lift heavy weights 3x per week
3. Get descent sleep.
…and bam. There’s literlly no way I CANT hit my goal in 30+ days if I do these 3 behaviors every day.
And I’ve found the same is true for almost everything in my life….namely, that there is some subset of behaviors that, if I do them enough –ie turn them into HABITS — that I will definitely achieve the change I want to see.
Sound too easy? It is. It’s a bit of a psychological mind f*ck, but it works. Any change, no matter how big, is just a change in behavior.
The example I give in today’s #cjRAW is an expansion of My Morning Routine, into larger context of what I do for my personal health everyday. To track my daily habits, I use an app on my phone called Habit List ($3.99). Unfortunate for some of you, this app is only available on iPhone. If you’re an android user, try “7 Weeks“. Of course you don’t need to have an app on your phone, you can use a calendar, or whatever is easiest for you to keep track of your daily progress – just sharing what I personally use.
So what ARE the 10 things I personally track daily that help me be my best creative, boss, friend, husband outgoing awesome self? Watch the above vid to find out. And of course – report back! Let me know if any of this helped at all.
[and finally, as you start thinking about habits, start slow. Avoid going from zero to ten habits all at once. I developed my habit list over about a year to help me understand what’s going to make me my best self. I’d recommend setting 1-2 habits every couple of weeks or months for the best results, then tracking those habits daily. And remember -this set of habits is for a particular outcome of health and vitality for ME. Want a different outcome – you’ll have to figure out what the right behaviors are for you to gain the outcome that matters most to you.]That’s it
Of course – if you have some habits you’re doing to help make a productive life, do tell.
What’s Covered
Daily Habits are critical for change [0:28] Habit List 2 second lesson [1:34] My habits [2:14] Recommendations for creating habits [4:45] The Power of Habits [6:11]
Links from the Episode
Habit List
7Weeks
My Morning Routine
Play It Away by Charlie Hoehn
MoveSkill
The Power of Habits on CreativeLive
