🎨 Unlocking the Power of Habits

At a glance:

• Discover the power of habits for a better life.
• Learn how good habits build you up while bad ones tear you down.
• Follow a personal journey of habit formation, from morning energy boosts to evening self-care, and find out how to reclaim days each year for personal growth.
• Ready to transform your routines into success?

While some might find routine mundane, there is undeniable power in good habits. But what exactly sets a habit apart from routine? As James Clear wrote: “Habits are a double-edged sword. 15 bad habits can cut you down just as easily as good habits can build you up, which is why understanding the details is crucial.” It's so important, yet often overlooked, to identify and address these negative habits while cultivating positive ones. Doing so can help in leveling up your life. It’s not going to be easy, but the results are worth the hassle.

My Journey with Habits:

In aligning my 2024 goals, I began by documenting my morning and evening routines. As an organized person, I've always followed a routine, but writing it down has been a game-changer, especially in habit formation.

Morning Dose of Energy and Focus:

I wake up at 6 am and kickstart my day with exercise. Depending on the type of training, I listen to music, podcasts, or TED talks. My morning beauty routine follows, taking about 30 minutes. Afterward, to set myself in a positive mood, I journal, focusing on gratitude and self-affirmation. As I'm polishing my Spanish skills, I incorporate it into my journaling. I then spend around 30 minutes planning my day, checking emails, and reading newsletters. Aligning with my intermittent fasting schedule, I delay breakfast until 9 am. I'm currently experimenting with the best time to include meditation in this routine but haven’t made a decision yet.

This approach helps me stay focused in the first part of the day when I tend to tackle the hard tasks (i.e., I eat my frog – see my latest LinkedIn post explaining it). It also gives me energy until I recharge during my dog walk around lunchtime. I’ve learned that motivating myself for evening workouts is challenging, so a morning workout has become my non-negotiable ritual.

Evening with Myself:

My evening begins with a 30-minute session of email checking and news updates. I reflect on the day, noting small successes or understanding failures to avoid repetition. I plan the next day, focusing on key tasks. After my evening beauty routine, I leave my phone in another room – it’s also a tactic to ensure I wake up on time the next morning – and read for about 30 minutes before sleeping 7-8 hours.

Such a routine helps me fall asleep faster, which wasn’t the norm for me, especially when I was working late and trying to do last-minute things on my mobile just before bedtime. In my pursuit of personal development, I recently swapped watching evening TV shows for listening to podcasts and reading books, leading to immediate positive effects.

Habit Building:

These routines didn't develop overnight but evolved over a decade. Recently, I've structured them more efficiently to align with my current priorities and goals. If you are wondering how all of this is possible, in future posts I will share more about my beauty routine, fitness journey, dietary habits, and language learning process.

What’s in it for me?

Adopting my current training routine has been a game-changer. It not only saves me nearly 11 days a year (5 hours per week) but also energizes my mornings without extending my actual workout time.

Incorporating day planning and my work hacks (mentioned here) further saves me over 25 days a year (10 hours per week). This approach allows me to work smarter, not harder, focusing on impactful tasks rather than the easiest ones.

My 8-hour eating window has brought unexpected benefits. Eating more regularly during work hours improves my overall well-being and prevents sleep disturbances from late-night meals, which used to leave me feeling sluggish the next morning.

While my evening routine doesn't necessarily save time, it significantly enhances the quality of my sleep. This means I wake up more refreshed, full of energy, and ready to tackle the tasks I set the day before.

Now, the intriguing question is, what do I do with these extra 36 days each year? I choose to invest this time back into myself, furthering my personal growth and advancing my plans for 2024.

Closing Thoughts:

Habits might be good or bad. The good ones we need to establish and truly care about. The second ones usually come by, and we let them stay with us. By being passive, we accept the situation and then often blame ‘life’ for having bad habits. I encourage you to scrutinize your routines, identifying and altering habits as needed. It's a personal journey, one that requires commitment and self-awareness.

Although I have built powerful habits over the last few years, I’m currently reading James Clear's “Atomic Habits” to improve my approach and to be able to win in those aspects where I still haven't managed, like meditation. Because: “Success is the product of daily habits - not once-in-a-lifetime transformations”, as James Clear wrote. Read the book, if you don’t know where to start. Or can also join his newsletter. Follow me for more insights on my habit formation journey in the past and my 2024 plans.