On Building Habits

A few years ago, I came across a book called Mini Habits by Stephen Guise, which is similar to the bestselling Atomic Habits by James Clear. The main concept is that if you want to build a habit, break it down into a ridiculously small habit that your mind won’t resist doing. Keep doing this daily, and it will plant the root of your new habit, which will then flourish into a strong, solid tree. 

So, I went ahead and applied this to exercise, which I wasn’t doing. I chose the form I like most that my brain wouldn’t oppose in any way and removed all obstacles that could get in the way – I got a treadmill and told myself that I wouldn’t even change into sports clothes or sports shoes as all I’m going to be doing is getting on it and walking barefoot for 5 minutes every day. And that’s what I did. After about two weeks of doing so, I wanted to turn those 5 minutes into 10. Then I added my sports shoes right next to the treadmill so that I would wear them instead of going barefoot. Bit by bit, my 5 minutes turned to 30 minutes, and my body started craving that time and the accelerated heartbeat on the treadmill. My mind was now demanding that I change into sports clothes and walk faster and longer, until I reached 45 minutes of HIIT cardio (alternating walking and jogging). And guess what? My mind and body stopped being satisfied with just that and I added many other sports and activities to my life.

If you want to build a habit, break it down into a ridiculously small habit that your mind won’t resist doing.

This applies to everything you want to achieve in your life: make it a habit and it will become part of your life. I did this with my journaling habit, reading, writing, and even finding time to spend with loved ones, which we usually feel too busy to do. I systematised my week so that I spent some quality time with each loved one every day, which then grew to be a healthy amount of time with them. The key is to break it down to a very achievable, almost laughable, morsel of time or activity and remove any starting obstacles that would get in the way of you doing it daily. 

According to the book, and from my experience, habit tracking also helps tremendously to get you to stick to your habits, especially at the beginning. I downloaded a nifty and super simple tracking app and used it daily. Eventually, the whole concept of building habits became innate and much easier to do every time I wanted to add a new one.  

So, prioritise, start really small, and track. Eventually, it will all fall into place and become a part of your new reality.