I started this blog in July to change my habits and through that, to change my life. After four months, I have discovered the following:
- My efforts have had small positive effects on my business and relationships. But it feels to me that the real repair work is still a ways ahead.
- Am I kicking the hard-work-can down the road? How do I tackle the big things in a sustainable way? It still seems like there is soooo much more to do.
- Old characteristics, behaviours, and habits keep trying to seep through.
- I seem to have changed, but I also seem to have stayed the same.
- If I look carefully, 99.9% of my old habits are still there.
- Keeping a detailed log appears to be the only reason why I haven’t relapsed completely to old habits.
TL:DR- they seem to work, but change is slow and difficult.
Well, that’s not unexpected. Some habits have been around for decades. I guess four months is baby steps.
Sometimes I update my log once a week, sometimes once or more times a day. When I update less, it’s harder to stay on track. The more often I update my log, the more I put in some effort to stick to the new habits that I have set. I infer that this is the right cue to help build the new habits.
One thing I noticed is that a few important cues during the day are the biggest trigger for relapse. When those cues appear, it is very easy to succumb and relapse to old habits. Like, to pull up Netflix once I sit down at my desk after dinner. Or, to open social media apps once I wake up. Or to look at the clock, see that it’s 11pm, and think: “Right I can still do an hour of work” and then end up going to bed at 2am.
This GQ interview with author James Clear on Key Moments struck the nail on the head. I am introducing a Key Moments table to my Airtable Habits Log. By tracking the cues during the Key Moments, I hope to reduce the poisonous effects of old habits cues.
I realise all this sounds incredibly nerdy. But I’ve always known I have a huge nerd in me. Cue Flora rolling her eyes. Well. As long as it works.