Sunday scribbles #30: Changing your habits.

Whenever a new year starts, people tend to make resolutions. Starting the year off good and building new habits, yes, that's the way to go about it. For me this has been quite the opposite. For the past year I had incorporated structure in my life. I went climbing twice a week and did two complementary workouts at home so I also trained chest and shoulder muscles. These are less used during climbing so it's a good combination of workouts. I started a morning routine where after waking up, I did a short workout of about 45' followed by some stretching and a cold shower. I focused on creating two paintings a week and boosting my creativity. I daily practiced my French with Duolingo for about 5 minutes because I also want to improve my language skills. At the end of the week I finish it off by writing my Sunday scribbles. All this I combine with a main job and working at events whenever I get the chance to. You see, I have been living quite a structured life. Some would even say boring. If you would have told me this in the past, I would have agreed with the latter. This does look like a boring life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Bringing structure to my life, being focused on certain things and committing to them definitely contribute to my happiness. Everything had been going really well and I felt like being in a steady flow... until the holiday season. Boy, the past weeks have really thrown me off. Maintaining structure these past weeks have been something I could only dream off. I was creating less paintings I wanted, I had been working out less than what I intended, and I was feeling less focused than before. A good indicator of my past life taking the upper hand was my time spent in the virtual world of Fortnite. Whenever my gaming time goes up, I know I'm losing focus. I get less sleep in, or I wake up late. I spend less time in my arena, less time editing on my laptop and less time reading books. Okay, gaming with friends is something important to me, because it's the most social interaction I get on a daily basis, but it must be kept within limits. I might seem harsh on myself now, but it's not that bad either. I still created one painting a week, did several workouts and read something every two days, but I just wasn't feeling the focus I've had before. So, no better thing to do than start reading a book about habits.

Yesterday we went to the spa for half a day, where no cellphones are allowed. This is a public spa without clothing, so it's quite normal these devices aren't welcome. It's a good time to relax and reflect. The book I brought to read is Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Before reading this book, I said to myself: I am not starting any games after 11 pm anymore, no matter what kind of game preceded that moment. This is a bad habit I am breaking with, and a good habit I am starting. Funny story: when writing the previous sentence I first wrote "a bad habit I want to break with, and a good habit I want to start". But I have just read a really good chapter in the book, which says that it helps when you envision yourself as already doing it. There's a good example in the book about people who quit smoking. Imagine you are offering a cigarette to two people who stopped smoking, or are trying to. The first one answers: "No thank you, I am trying to quit smoking". When offering one to the second person, this one replies: "No thank you, I quit smoking". They both mean the same thing, but what happens in our brains is a bit different. Don't get me wrong, the first one who says he/she is trying to quit, is also very good. But with the second answer you are rewiring your brain saying you are not a smoker. Do this often enough (and live by it) and you will have more chances of actually believing it and continue to live that way. The explanation in the book goes way more into detail. I am just a sponge which absorbs the main conclusion. But I hope you get the idea of what is being meant by the example.

In short: the book is a about how small changes have a big impact on your life. Get better 1% every day and you'll turn out 37 better after one year (I didn't do the math, I'm just reciting the book and believing what is being said). On the other hand, do worse 1% every day and you'll end up very close to zero. Habits are a double-edged sword. If you want to improve the quality of your life, or there are things you want to change, I strongly advise you to read this book. I have been incorporating the principles way before I read this one, because many ideas I have already encountered somewhere else (a YouTube video, a friends opinion, or another book). But still, it helps when you keep the ideas alive. In these hectic past weeks during the holiday season I noticed it first hand. I slacked off for a couple of weeks, and bad habits started to work their way into my life again. This is also something I often hear from people: "But the things you are reading are plain obvious, we already know those things.". Yes, a lot of that is true, but by staying on top of it, you can ensure that it becomes a part of who you are rather than simply something you know. There really is a difference between knowing how to do something, and really doing it.