0.01% Better Each Day
#4 January/February 2023
“Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
Last year around this time, I launched a series of videos around habit formation, from mistakes you want to avoid, to systems you can use & a guide to help you form new habits.
Over 2022, (now doubt like you) I tried to implement some new habits and stop falling into some bad ones.
Here are some simple lessons I have learned along the way and practises I have see fruitfulness in.
1. Use Your Best Energy Times
Given my coaching focus and journey with Chronic fatigue, you would have thought I have cracked this one. Well, so did I, but there are always nuances and new things we can learn.
I have been trying to learn a new language. For a number of months this went well using the Babbel app, but then the level stepped up, and my brain stepped down.
What I found was, I was trying to learn at wrong time of day when my energy & ability to learn was at its lowest. I had given it priority in terms of the one new habit to focus on, but I had not given it priority in terms of my best energy. As a result when things got a little harder and the resistance came, I did not have the resilience to keep going.
So, if we truly want to embed and ingrain new habits we need to give them priority in terms of both time & energy, which maybe to the cost of something else.
2. Aim for 0.01% Better Each Day
This week I had a break through I managed to run for 3 whole minutes on a treadmill and was able to still function for the rest of the day.
For me living with a Chronic illness and a long injury list from the past this is a huge step, like winning a competition medal. There was a time a few years ago when this would seem an impossibility and would have led to me being wiped out for the rest of the day.
On reflection, this step that has been made possible by probably 1,000 micro steps taken over the last few years, trying to do a little more & get 0.01% better each day.
So if you want to imbed a new habit & see breakthrough, be patient and break down your habit into micro steps. Focus on each step and when you lift your head up, you will be amazed how far you have travelled.
3. The Importance of accountability systems & feedback
The author James Clear (author of Atomic habits) talks about focusing more on having strong systems in place (i.e. processes that lead to results) than the goals themselves.
As I reflect on 2022, what has kept me on track has indeed been the systems, rhythms & processes I have put in place to achieve the goals, rather than the motivation that comes from the goal itself.
Just the fact of saying we need to set up a system, can be de-motivating for some, because often we overthink what is required and become crushed by the effort involved in maintaining a system.
The key I have found is to make the systems super simple to operate and the processes easy to remember.
My system simply revolves around a journal which I write in each day and monitor the habits I am trying to keep going, I simply mark down whether I have taken the step or not.
For example: Exercise, I aim for at least 4 instances each week, where I have completed my exercise routine. I know if I do achieve at least 4, I will make progress over time.
This has approach two benefits:
It keeps me accountable. I know I have to write in my journal each day (a Keystone Habit) and account for what I have done. It is amazing the motivation that comes from simple putting a tick in a box.
It shows me progress. This motivates further, because streaks develop that you don’t want to break and you want to keep going.
You can find out more here about the system I use.
SO WHAT NEXT?
If you are struggling to embed some new habits —> then perhaps check to see whether any of these lessons I am learning can help you. Check out this video also about some further mistakes you can avoid.
If you want to remember these lessons —> then an easy way to do this is to share them with someone else in the next few days. This will embed them into your thinking while helping someone else too.
I would love to cheer you on as you try and embed new habits in your life, drop me a note via email or on social in terms of what you are doing and what is helping you.
In the meantime, I will be getting back to some language learning.
I hope & pray it this ‘Pep Talk’ blesses you and motivates you to be more fruitful. Bye for now.
Every Blessing
James.
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