Hey there! This blog is about my struggle with having habits and the best practices I found to help me form them.
I have always struggled with making a habit and being consistent with it. I’ve tried my best to make it happen. I musted up the willpower and put in the effort, but I found myself not being consistent, lacking the willpower to do it every day or in other cases completely hating what I was trying to do.
This was mainly because I was trying to do too much at once. I thought that having a habit meant that you needed to spend hours doing it every single day. And when I couldn’t do it for hours or didn’t feel like it, I would just give up because it was too much to do. I also used to think that I might not be good at forming habits. And I just didn’t like doing it anymore.
I understood that making a habit requires consistency more than the time spent on the habit. Also, you’re more likely to develop a habit when you like doing it. If you’re like me and you find it difficult to maintain a habit, then this blog can help you. These points are easy to follow too!
Here Is How I Started Developing Habits:
- Doing The Bare Minimum. Everyday!
I’ve learnt that doing a task for the bare minimum amount of time is the best way you can start a habit. I’ve tried to make habits like reading every day for 30 minutes and learning to invest in the stock market for an hour every day. But I just couldn’t be consistent with them.
I used to do them for the first few days because I was motivated and driven, but after the motivation and drive withered away, I just couldn’t get myself to do it. So I decided that I would do a task for the bare minimum amount of time, like reading for 5 minutes and learning to invest for 10 minutes. And I had to do them every day no matter what.
This way I wouldn’t have unrealistic tasks that I couldn’t complete and I specified an achievable timeframe which I would be glad to complete on a daily basis. I would extend the time and do more of the habit on days when I felt so. And when I didn’t feel like it, I stuck to my bare minimum time.
2. Understanding That Quality Is Better Than Quantity
You’re more likely to do anything better when you focus on it completely and give it your best efforts. You’re going to find that you lack focus and you can’t put in all your efforts when you try to do anything for a very long period of time.
Yes, some people can go on for hours doing a task with complete focus. But that requires time and consistency. I’m pretty sure those people weren’t that good on the first week of doing that task.
So if you want to make a habit out of anything, when you start off, do it for as much time as you can perform well.
You can also do it first thing in the morning if it is a priority. This is because humans have a limited amount of energy and focus that they can give out. So you’re more likely to give in more energy and focus on it.
Quality can also mean getting the best out of your habit / enjoying the habit.
3. Desire It More
Desiring anything a lot will feed you with the drive to do it. Desire is the reason we make an effort to do something. When we don’t desire something, we are most likely not going to put effort or time into it. So make the habits you want desirable to you.
What I usually do is ask myself why I want to make this habit in the first place. I try to go deep within my desires and fish out the real reason why want this. And I try to remind myself every day as to why I wanted this in the first place.
There’s a quote that goes like “If you’re doubtful or thinking of quitting, remember why you started”. That sums up this point. For added motivation, you can go on YouTube and see others that are doing what you want to do and living the life you want to live. This always brings out the desire within me.
4. Make A Pros and Cons List
Make a list of all the pros of making the habit and all the cons of not making the habit.
Making a pros list of the habits that you want to make will give you a lot of clarity as to how it will positively impact you. And making cons of not doing the habit will remind you of the benefits that you’re missing out on. This will give you a better reason to make it a habit.
Keep this list somewhere you will more likely see it every day. And read the list whenever you lay eyes on it. And especially on days when you don’t feel like doing the task. You can also focus on the benefits of the habit when you find it hard to follow some days.
5. Take breaks
Having daily habits is wonderful, but not if you’re worn out or not enjoying it. It’s completely okay to take breaks. Do not overdo yourself up to a point where you can’t do anymore. This will often lead you to take extended breaks or give up the habit. Just make sure you’re taking the right amount of breaks.
Taking a break for a day in a week is good but if you’re taking 3 to 4 days of rest in a week, then you can’t really call it a break, it’s more like a mini vacation. I try to be consistent with my habits and strict about how long and frequently I take breaks.
Wishing you the best of luck on your habit-forming journey!
– Gaurav Rao | The Destiny Pill
