American writer and historian William Durant said: “We are what we do day after day. In this case, mastery is not an action, but a habit.” This is true not only for mastery, but also for its opposite. Mediocrity is the result of mediocre habits. This means that you can develop to a level of mastery by changing your habits. However, they do not guarantee success. If you simply copy Elon Musk's habits, you will not become the next Elon Musk. You need to completely change your behavior.
Entrepreneur Darius Foroux blogged about how to develop the habits that suit you and stick to them.
Decide what habits you need
We hear about some useful habit and immediately decide to include it in our life. But think about whether you really need it. Do you really need to wake up at five in the morning, run or eat raw vegetables?
Maybe it will actually be useful for you to get up early. Or maybe you feel angry and grumpy in the morning, and it ruins your whole day. So ask yourself if this habit will improve your quality of life.
In addition, there must be a compelling reason for change. For example, you want to read one book a week, but why do you need it? What will this give you? What goal will it help you achieve? Think about it and choose those habits that will bring you closer to your desired result.
Success on autopilot. 9 habits that changed my life
Habits change people.
They can revive and kill, throw you up and drop you to the very bottom. All everyday actions that we perform automatically are habits. They control us: they influence our mood, development and health. Introducing a useful habit, like an investment in a profitable project, brings dividends day after day with virtually no participation from you. All you have to do is eliminate bad habits, select good ones and watch how the world around you changes. All my achievements: personal, professional and financial, were the result of making small changes in my life that, over time, brought results. Over the past three years, I have worked as a web developer, a writer for a men's magazine, and a chief product designer. I visited two countries, moved from a hostel to a comfortable apartment and continue to work with habits as one of the most important tools for development.
These 10 habits changed my life:
Fear
At the age of 18, I went on stage for the first time to present a project.
More than a day of continuous work has passed. I was the youngest on the team, but they sent me to present the project. It was scary. In the darkness, I was blinded by a bright light, and I could hardly see anyone. Representatives of large IT companies asked questions, and I tried to answer them. It was scary, but I knew that I couldn’t miss this opportunity. Several years have passed since then, and that moment remains one of the most memorable in my life. Why overcome fear?
Every step out of our comfort zone proves that we are capable of more. This gives confidence that all obstacles can be overcome. Indeed, it is true, but developing the habit of ignoring fear is not easy.
How to start?
Fear is a signal that it is time to act. Two days ago I met a famous artist and immediately approached him. We talked for a couple of minutes and parted. Nothing complicated. Did you see a beautiful girl/man? Come here. Have you ever had a crazy idea to wake up at dawn and go for a run? Get up! If you don't do this, you will regret it. Over time, self-pity will become a habit, and dreams will remain dreams. What would you like? To write a book? Open a company? Doesn't matter. Take action.
It is important to understand that almost everyone is afraid. This is fine. - Realize that fear is a common feeling. Overcome it and the discomfort will stop bothering you.
Early rise
Two years ago I started experimenting with waking up early.
Then I studied at the institute, worked as a project manager, wrote articles and studied English. I didn’t have much time, so I started waking up at 5:30 in order to have time to go to training and study a foreign language before leaving for college. I didn’t hold out for long, since falling asleep in the hostel before 11 pm is as easy as getting up at dawn. Then I had to change my schedule, but this summer several days a week I woke up when the sun was just starting to warm up, went outside, did 10 sprints, came back, cooked food for the day, sometimes read a book and went to work. Why wake up early?
When one thing is done, the second is easier. By waking up early, going for a run or doing a simple task, you will be like the player who scored a goal early in the match and is filled with confidence that he will score more.
How to learn to get up early
You can list dozens of tips that will help you get up earlier, but none of them compare to having a goal that is so strong and conscious that it will be stronger than the desire to lie down for another hour. Why do you think students sleep through classes? Maybe because they don’t see the point in studying? It may well be. But that's not what's sad. Many adults miss work for the same reason.
Important - Have a plan for what you will do in the morning. It's better not to wake up without this. It will be more useful. — Go to bed at least 6.5 hours (preferably 7-8) before getting up. - Eat smart. Errors in nutrition greatly affect your tone (more on this below). — Understand that getting up early is not a guarantee of success. As a result, everyone has 24 hours in a day.
Fitness
At 16 years old I weighed 84 kg.
I was fat. By the end of school, my weight dropped to 62 kg, and two years later it again reached a healthy 80-84 with a subcutaneous fat percentage of 10-12% (this is like Daniel Craig in the Bond films). Fitness is not only about a healthy body. He disciplines, forces him to overcome difficulties and achieve new goals. These qualities transfer to all areas of life. Why healthy lifestyle?
Discipline, self-confidence, emotional, mental and physical stability. And most importantly - the core of life.
How to improve your health?
Everyone knows this: eat right, get enough sleep, move.
Important - Stick to a moderate workout regimen. Don't get overtired. - Make time for rest. There was a time when I trained 7-8 hours a week. This is acceptable at a certain stage, but in the long term it will have a bad effect. - Pays attention to every movement. This will help avoid injury and speed up growth. — Progress, give your best in every training session and set new goals.
Smart nutrition
I haven't eaten sweets or baked goods for over two years.
They say to me, “How can you limit yourself so much?!” And I don’t limit it. I eat what I want. After all, it's not about diet. Smart eating is a way of life. For what?
Your energy level is directly related to what you eat. Take a break and think about how you feel? Feeling sleepy, tired or energized? Now remember what you ate all day.
A sprinter needs energy to run a distance just as much as you need energy to complete a task. It becomes obvious that healthy eating is the key to achieving success. Of course, you can swallow a croissant, wash it down with a Frappuccino and get the energy boost you need. This will work a couple of times, but in the long run it will have a negative impact on your health. Excess sugar, caffeine, fat does not lead to anything good.
How to eat smart?
Imagine a fire. It burns while branches are thrown into it. If you throw too much at once, it will go out. If it's not enough he will die. The body also needs fuel from fats, proteins and carbohydrates. A morning meal allows you to wake up the body (light a fire), and several meals throughout the day keep it in the right state. To eat smart, you need to know which foods contain the main components: proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Important - Understand which foods contain empty energy and which contain useful energy. Regular sugar is useless, but fruit is not. - Consume enough protein. It is the building material of your body. — Drink at least 2 liters of water a day (I drink several times more). Without water everything dies.
Goals
I started setting goals at 18. I remember how in the “Goal” column of the MoyKrug service I wrote “Become a project manager.”
When I came across a forgotten resume a year later, I just smiled because the goal was achieved. By writing down a goal, the likelihood of achieving it increases significantly. It stops looming in your head, and you have the opportunity to get down to business. For what?
Goals are the guidelines of life. They indicate the direction of development and help avoid confusion and stagnation.
How to work with goals
Now I use a paper notepad. One page - one week. I divide tasks into categories. I define priority with a dot.
Six months ago I used Todoist. Great app that incorporates David Allen's GTD technique. You have the ability to distribute tasks among projects, filter and set reminders, and much more.
It is worth paying attention to the SmartProgress service. This is a complete system for achieving goals. In addition to the rating, which motivates you to achieve accomplishments, you can join a group and achieve goals together.
Important - Understand that having achieved your goal, you will not become happy. You can only be happy now. A goal gives impetus to your life, and it is in moving towards something ambitious that you feel happy and successful. — Abandon goals if they have lost relevance. This happens with long-term goals.
Focus
Steve Jobs' return to the position of CEO of Apple is my favorite moment in his biography.
Upon returning, Jobs reduced the product line to 4 devices. You know what happened next. In an interview on Chinese television, the Apple founder said that to create a breakthrough product, you need to focus on one idea and bring it to perfection.
For what?
Multitasking is appropriate only when performing simple tasks, like talking on the phone while making coffee or discreetly looking at girls during a workout. More complex tasks require greater mental strength. It's like juggling. The more balls, the more difficult. Now imagine that one ball (a big task) weighs 20 kg. To throw just one ball you will need to concentrate all your strength on it. The same goes for tasks.
How to concentrate?
If you want to achieve anything in your chosen business, you need to turn off social notifications. networks, close unnecessary tabs and, if possible, retire. Work in sprints, not marathons. I have a handy Pomodoro Timer on my laptop. I use it all the time. If you are bothered by external sounds, use the Noisli service.
It is important to remember that the world is changed by people who know how to focus.
Experiments
I experiment with nutrition, training, regimen and every month I discover something new and get to know my body better.
Don't stop once you find a good solution. Everything can be improved. For what?
Experimentation is movement, openness to new things and self-discovery. Experimenting with coffee helped me identify the required dose and time of consumption that would allow me to sleep 6 hours a day and work productively. Having tried various products, I know how to increase my energy levels without harming my figure.
How to start
Change your wake-up or bedtime. Move your workout to the morning or evening. Remove or add some foods from your diet.
Important - Monitor your well-being, physical fitness and tone. Focus on these indicators. I add new products and see how they affect my shape and tone. Thanks to this, I find the optimal products for each time of day.
Communication skills
Yesterday I met a famous actor, a week ago I met the writer Dan Waldschmidt, six months ago I met Igor Mann.
Every conference, book you read, or interesting article is an opportunity to make new acquaintances. For what?
I know employees of the largest publishing houses in Russia, art directors of leading IT companies, writers and simply interesting people. Thanks to this, I can get an authoritative answer to my question within a few minutes. Plus, the higher your social circle, the better you become.
How to start
Did you like the book? Find the author's contact information and contact him. This will take no more than 15 minutes. Listened to an interesting speaker? Come and ask a question. Find interesting people on the Internet. Now it's very simple and fast.
Important - Don't pester the person. Contact only on business and with an interesting question. - Be open to any communication. It doesn’t matter if it’s a waiter or a famous writer.
Reading
A year and a half ago I did some research.
Each idea that came to mind was written down along with the activity during which it appeared. By a factor of three, reading has become the most productive way to get ideas. Why read
New ideas, an opportunity to get distracted, concentrate, gain new skills, gain motivation...
How to start
Find the three most popular books in your industry and read them. Read a book a week. It is not difficult. Imagine that in every book you will find at least one idea. As a result, you will get 52 ideas in a year. One of them can radically change your life.
Find out the favorite books of interesting people and make a reading list.
Important - Do not strive for quantity. A year and a half ago, I took on the challenge and read 50 books in six months. The experiment is interesting, but I reread some of the books again. - Make notes. Most often I read on iBooks. From there it's easy to export notes to email. After reading, I process them and enter them into the knowledge base. — Implement ideas!
Useful books
Productivity How to get things in order.
The Art of Stress-Free Productivity - David Allen How to Work Four Hours a Week - Timothy Ferris Speech and Negotiation Turning on Charm Using the Secret Services Method - Jack Schafer, Marvin Carlins Argument for it! How to convince anyone of anything - Nikita Nepryakhin
Creativity How to come up with an idea if you are not Ogilvy - Alexey Ivanov Steal like an artist - Cleon Austin
Success stories Corporation of geniuses. How to Manage a Team of Creative People - Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace Losing My Virginity. How I built a business by doing things my way and enjoying life - Richard Branson
Development Number 1. How to become the best at what you do - Igor Mann The art of learning. How to Be the Best at Anything - Josh Waitzkin
Motivation to the limit. A week without self-pity - Eric Bertrand Larssen Be the best version of yourself. How ordinary people become extraordinary - Dan Waldschmidt
Business Development of value propositions - Alexander Osterwalder Rework. Business Without Prejudice - Jason Fried, David Heinmeier Hansson
Marketing Customers for Life - Carl Sewell, Paul Brown More money from your business - Alex Levitas
Conclusion
While learning English, I used a chart in which I marked a tick every day that I spent at least 20 minutes studying. So I reinforced the habit and it worked. You can take my method, or use the already mentioned SmartProgress
.
You don't wake up successful one morning. The habit of becoming a part of your life at the moment when you forget about its existence. And this takes time.
Work on your habits one at a time
Sometimes you want to change everything about yourself at once. You decide to read more, work more productively, eat right, exercise. In this case, it is better to reduce your enthusiasm. Taking on too many habits at once will only create unnecessary stress for yourself.
We overestimate ourselves. We feel like we can achieve a lot in a short time. This is wrong. But over a long period of time this is quite doable. So focus on one habit and strengthen it. And only then take on the next one.
Simple tips on how to change yourself for the better
If you want to improve your life and are ready for changes, but don’t know where to start, then I advise you to take the following steps first.
- Reduce time spent communicating on social networks and aimlessly surfing the Internet.
- Quit smoking if you have this bad habit. Then you will immediately have more free time and money.
- Limit your consumption of alcohol, sugar, fast food, and artificial foods as much as possible. The basis of the diet should be vegetables, fruits, fish, cereals, some meat and plain water.
- Start learning a foreign language, or better yet, two languages at once. This will help develop memory and activate the brain. And besides, it will allow you to freely communicate with foreigners.
- Read books daily. Reading perfectly develops thinking, imagination and helps to relax. Any genre will do, but it is better to choose high-quality fiction, books on psychology, personal growth, and professional profiles. It is enough to read for 30 minutes every day to significantly expand your horizons.
- Get up early. Human physiology is designed in such a way that he manages to do most of his work in the morning. In the evening, activity and energy naturally decrease. To fully recharge, a full 7-hour sleep is enough.
- Workout. I have already written about how to force yourself to play sports. No way. We are all well aware of the benefits of physical activity. But you definitely shouldn’t force yourself to the gym. Now there is a huge selection of workouts: yoga, Pilates, running, swimming, dancing, etc. Among all this variety, there is sure to be something to your liking. You just have to try.
- Travel. We are not talking about expensive trips to overseas countries. There is a huge space around us that has not yet been explored. Many people have not even visited everywhere in their hometown. Visit neighboring cities, nearby regions. Traveling is always remembered as the most vivid impression. And life is a series of impressions!
- Clean up your home and financial affairs. Carry out a total audit of all your closets and finally get rid of unnecessary junk that has been lying around for more than a year “just in case.” Well, this case will not come while the thing is waiting for him on the shelf. Personal finances should also be in order. Maintain a family budget to record income and expenses. The golden rule is that expenses should not exceed 90% of income. A tenth of all cash receipts must be set aside.
- Find your passion. This is perhaps the most difficult point. Finding something you like means finding yourself. We don't know what we really enjoy until we try it. Therefore, finding your own business can take more than one year. But that’s not a reason to give up, right?
Use checklists
It also happens that you started to develop a new habit, but soon forgot about it. There are many unexpected situations in life. It seems okay if you miss a day or two. But it's not that simple. If you neglect regularity, the habit will never form. Use checklists to remind yourself what you're aiming for and to track your progress.
Don't forget, you develop habits to become better. Mark their completion on a checklist daily. And one day you will be surprised how much your life has changed because of a couple of simple habits.
What Habits Really Are
First of all, you need to understand that there are no such abstract habits. This is a lexical construction. There are neural connections in the brain. All our behavior is built on these connections. Let's start with a little theory in order to create the coordinate system we need for further study of the issue. There are 3 basic things you need to know.
Dynamic stereotype
A dynamic stereotype is a specific pattern of behavior that we use in certain conditions.
Remember, for example, how you behave with friends, work colleagues, or your loved one. Do you see the difference? Of course, different dynamic stereotypes are used.
The brain uses and remembers all the circumstances that are significant to it that can characterize what is happening. Based on them, an “anchor” is created for the corresponding dynamic stereotype. As circumstances change, so do the dynamic patterns we display. The brain begins to reproduce patterns of behavior that are adequate to the situation in which it finds itself.
If we look at all this from the point of view of neurophysiology, we will see that dynamic stereotypes are connections of neurons built on the basis of subjective experience. What you call a habit is a certain structure of a certain part of the brain.
Thus, when we want to interrupt a habit, change it, we need to change the anatomical connections between neurons in the brain. And this is where the fun begins.
Neural connections are not so easy to break without external intervention. We will not resort to such extreme measures, we will try to resolve the issue peacefully.
And here's another difficulty. Even if this succeeds, the brain will try to find workarounds and alternate paths to restore connections between neurons.
On the one hand, this is a complex process. But on the other hand, it’s very interesting. Essentially, we are reprogramming our own neurocomputer. Agree, it’s much more interesting than programming plugins for WordPress.
Dominant
The brain has many nerve centers aimed at solving absolutely all problems associated with our lives. At the same time, work is underway in each of these centers: electrical signals actively travel through neurons, neurotransmitters are released, new neural connections are formed, and other interesting processes occur. Our consciousness is not even aware of this. Until a certain point.
One day, something grandiose and significant ripens in one of the nerve centers, for example, you really want to go to the toilet. This nerve center becomes dominant and takes our attention to itself. Everything else fades away.
Nerve centers control our life, behavior and decision making. If you think that your “I” makes decisions, then you are mistaken. Decisions are made by dominants. The nerve center becomes dominant if external or internal neurophysiological conditions arise.
Fighting dominants head-on is pointless and always leads to loss.
Thus, we see that a certain dominant is capable of causing the reproduction of a certain dynamic stereotype with which a specific nerve center is associated.
Have you ever found yourself changing your mind? So, this is due to the fact that the dominant nerve center has changed due to a change in circumstances.
Relationships between consciousness and subconscious
The reasons for our actions and their motives are in the subconscious. If a dominant is formed, then consciousness begins to helpfully “play along” with the subcortex. Incredibly, we find justification for our behavior, even if some time ago we thought completely differently.
There is an eternal debate within us between how things should be and how things really are. All due to the change in the dominant nerve centers and the nature of consciousness, which will always find a suitable justification for what we do.
Habits in relationships
Are you trying to preserve feelings that have become familiar in order to fill them with former romance? Be sure to follow the recommended rules and form good habits every day. They are the ones who will set the tone for communication in your everyday relationships.
Don't get angry and don't slander
Be sure to control not only the phrases spoken out loud, but also your own thoughts. When an irresistible desire arises to lash out in order to be rude in response to an impartial expression, fill your chest with air, and then mentally count to 10. Always remember, the law of attraction clearly functions in the Universe. It says that all the negativity you exude will certainly return to you.
Make time for your family and friends
For maximum harmony not only with a loved one, but also with the rest of the world around you, love must always live inside your heart. To replenish it, always remember about those who care about you and sincerely love you. They really need you, so be sure to devote maximum time to these people, constantly call them, visit more often, and give gifts with all your loving soul.
Get rid of negative habits
Every little thing requires your energy, it’s a shame to waste it on bad habits, especially when you are already experiencing a breakdown. It is not necessary to stop drinking alcohol, smoking, staying on social networks until midnight and eating fast food in one day. Change gradually. The “21 day” technique and habit tracker can help with this. It is enough to celebrate any achievement in it for three weeks so that it becomes habitual for you. Start with something simple: for example, make sure you drink your quota of clean water every day.
A few rules when introducing habits:
- don’t trust your future self. If today you do nothing to change your lifestyle, then tomorrow you will live the same way; - work on 1-2 habits at a time, no more; - don’t miss more than one day! If a breakdown occurs, the next day simply return to duty in any case; - under no circumstances scold yourself for a breakdown, otherwise you will discourage yourself from introducing a new habit; - praise yourself for regularity and give yourself small gifts; — keep track of your actions using a habit tracker or diary to clearly see your progress; - every breakdown is information for you. Assess what caused the breakdown and try to prevent it next time.
Do you want to work more effectively with new habits?
Video on the topic.
Save to Pinterest
- Tweet
How to implement new habits?
1) Prepare your mind.
Determine why you have failed to implement new habits in the past. Too many habits at once? High expectations? Lack of motivation? Did you try to change for yourself or for someone else?
2) Think through possible obstacles.
Determine what can slow you down, what difficulties you may encounter along the way. What triggers can cause a relapse?
3) Make a preventive plan.
Figure out how they can get around certain obstacles or situations. For example, you are on a diet, and you have dinner with friends ahead. What will you do? Decide that you will order fruit salad instead of dessert. Using the “If... then...” method, think through all possible situations and their solutions.
4) Believe in yourself.
Do you believe that you can perform the chosen action for a long time? On a scale of 1 to 10, rate how confident you are in your abilities. If the score is less than 8, break the habit into smaller actions and check your confidence level again. Start small.
5) Create a supportive environment.
For example, remove all harmful products from your home (or out of sight). Surround yourself with people who are also implementing this habit or are already living with it.
6) Determine your “why”.
It's hard to be immersed in an activity if you don't understand why you need it. Ask yourself the question “why?” until you get to the bottom of it.
7) Should or want?
What words do you use when talking about a new habit? If you say “should,” then perhaps the habit was forced on you, it came from outside, not from within.
Write down your habit and your intention on paper every day.
Regularly writing down your intention on paper sends the right information to your brain, strengthening your willpower and motivation.
9) Find a partner to implement the habit and argue with him for a successful result.
If you are afraid of an argument, reconsider your confidence in success, and if necessary, reduce the habit. Meet regularly and discuss your progress, your motivation, and any difficulties that arise. Look for a solution together and motivate each other not to give up.
10) Join a paid support group or course related to your habit.
When you invest money in something, you give yourself an incentive to work on the habit.
11) Simplify your start.
Remember: consistency is now more important than results. Start with 1 push-up, walk instead of jogging, etc.
The main thing is to start!
I want to change my life: where to start?
- Learn to live consciously
. Not just living every day, but thinking about what you want to achieve? What are your goals? Having achieved what, will you say that you did not waste your allotted time in vain? In this article we will tell you how to understand what you want from life. - Live in the present and think about the future
. Many people dwell on the mistakes of the past. But the past cannot be corrected, so draw conclusions and move on. - Master the 3+6 technique, which is described in the article. It will help you change your views and lifestyle.
- Remember that the main thing is to act. A person who does nothing will never change anything.
