Of habits

Right now I am bringing a few new habits into my life. One of them is a dramatic change to the way I eat. Another is adding movement exercise back into my life.  

I have found a couple of things useful as I develop these additions and enhancements to my life.

The first, ironically, is not to think of them as new habits. For me the word habit implies that something is a chore; I am not going to have fun incorporating this into my life. It also implies that it is something I can gain, but also something I can lose.

The things I am now building into my life are not negotiables. They are my new 'MO'; the way I am going to live from this point onwards. These will then becoming building blocks for other things. They may change and grow, but they are so important that losing them as a habit is no longer an option.

The second is that I do not have to nail these new habits (or perhaps I should say practises or something else instead of habit!) right from week 1. Changing my eating means changing my shopping, how I cook, where I eat out. Learning new movements involves different coordination and new daily routines. These are not insignificant changes, and especially early on I will not be able to incorporate all the change I want to.

The important thing is that I start pointing myself in the direction I want to go. Small changes are key at this point, and all the incremental changes will be of benefit and move me closer towards the new state of being. Mistakes and failures do not mean I should give up on my 'habits'. They do not mean I am never going to make it. It means that I am in the process of learning and incorporating, and they are to be celebrated.

Hacking procrastination

I love Jason Fox's suggestion for making the most of our tendency to procrastinate. He suggests that we set up the area around our workspace with two or three other activities we want to get done. Then, when we find ourself wanting to be distracted from the main thing we are doing, we can distract ourselves with the second most important task, or the third most.

I think in general procrastination can be an escape from staying in a moment of uncertainty or difficulty on an important piece of work, and therefore is something to notice and then lean into.

However, for those times when we actually can't help but be distracted and procrastinate, Jason's idea is a great way to ensure we are distracted in an effective way.

I have given this a go by leaving a soccer ball lying around where I work. Juggling a soccer ball is always something I have wanted to do, and whenever I need a break I start practising my juggling.

This has the added benefit of getting me off my seat, getting my body moving, and because of the nature of juggling a soccer ball, it actually improves my ability to think creatively.