How long will this take to read?
4-5 MINUTES
“Discipline equals Freedom”
Do you have the “habit” of breaking good habits? If so, this blog is for you…
When it comes to mastering a new habit, there’s a formula you can use that’ll help you in staying consistent with them. When doing research for this blog, I thought of two great books that really made a mark on me (James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Cal Newport’s Deep Work).
These books gave me a lot of inspiration and helped me tremendously in making the most out of my work day and living a more fulfilled life.
I really hope you check these books out for yourself. Or at the very least, I hope today’s post instills some motivation in you to live your best life RIGHT NOW!
So without further ado,
Here’s three practical tips that’ll not only help you in creating good habits but also lock them in for the long hall.
Lets dig into them…
1. Prepare in Advance:
Benjamin Franklin said it best…
“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”
You and I both know…the second you set a goal, obstacles spring out of nowhere. You must set yourself up for success by staying armed with a plan of action. Otherwise, life will always get in the way.
Here are some things I do to prepare myself for a typical work day…
I set the coffee machine the night before so that I just click one button for coffee the following morning.
I bring a water bottle with me everywhere I go so that I’m always hydrated and drinking enough water.
I bring 2-3 home cooked meals with me everyday so that I’m not tempted to eat something expensive or unhealthy.
2. Perform the Bare Minimum:
You’re gonna be very happy to read this…
When it comes to performing a good habit, all you need to focus on…in the beginning…is the bare minimum (whatever that may be). If you want to start doing push-ups, start by doing just 5 or 10. The key in locking down a new habit is in standardizing before optimizing.
Read that last sentence again, very important!!!
Here are some examples of some small habits I started doing that eventually took off into daily, progressive habits on autopilot…
Cold Showers: I first started with just the first 10 seconds of my shower with cold water, then switch to hot for the remainder. A few weeks later, I continued this same cycle but then added on by cutting to cold again for the last 10 seconds.
After several weeks of repeating this cycle, I just decided one day to start taking all cold water showers, no hot water. From that day on I never looked back.
Exercising: As a trainer, exercise has always been a big part of my life. But I now have a daily bare minimum habit of doing either 50 push-ups, 20 pull-ups, 30 dips or a 3 minute plank. Even on my rest days.
Writing/Reading: In order to be classified as a professional writer, I need to write DAILY. I probably wrote most days before I had the daily habit down. But now there’s no exception. I make it a daily duty to write something every single day, no matter how little.
I don’t care if it’s for 2 minutes. At the end of the day, 2 minutes is better than nothing.
Meditation: Every morning I have the habit down of meditating for just five minutes. This habit keeps me centered, in control of my emotions and prepares me for whatever the day has in store.
Sometimes, when I have less busy days, I’ll take whatever free I time I have and meditate a little more. Giving me that much more mindfulness and self-awareness.
3. Persist until Mastery:
You might be thinking…
"Drake, this all sounds great but I NEED to know the road ahead. How will I know when I’ve mastered a new habit?”
Use the following as your timeline…
3 weeks of daily practice will create a new habit.
3 month will create a nice groove with the habit.
6 months will lock down the habit.
12 months and you’ll crave the habit more than the discomfort.
24+ months and the habit becomes apart of your identity and who you are as a person.