Look, we all set out with great intentions at the start of the year, but before long, we’ve fallen back into our old habits. This slow slide can sometimes feel so familiar it also seems inevitable.
But change is possible.
I repeat: change is possible!
One guy who knows a good deal about this is James Clear, author of Atomic Habits and an expert on behavior change and habits. If you want to change something about your life, it’s helpful to pay attention to the habits.
Will the habits you have right now take you to where you want to go?
That’s a big question, but one I’ve been noodling on this month.
In a January 2023 interview, Clear shared a mantra that really stuck with me:
Reduce the scope, but stick to the schedule.
As a perfectionist in my past life, I used to have a story in my head that if I wasn’t going to do something perfectly, it wasn’t worth doing it at all.
Take the gym for example. I had a pretty consistent workout routine, but I told myself I needed at least 45 minutes to do a proper workout.
This story sucked.
When my life got busy, especially in the days when I traveled a lot for Google, I’d end up skipping workouts. Then I’d feel less energized during the day, I’d often eat less healthy foods, I’d probably go to sleep later, and so on.
It had a huge knock-on effect.
But then I discovered the tactic from Make Time, Exercise Every Day (But Don’t be a Hero!), which prompted me to experiment with shortening my workouts on days that life was full on.
On the days that I just had 20 minutes, I just did 20 minutes.
Some days I had 10 minutes, so I’d just do 10 minutes.
I learned through this process that I’d still feel pretty good after a 20 minute workout. It could shift my state and change my mood, which was a pretty surprising insight.
I also learned that getting a 10 minute workout felt great psychologically, because I was aligning my actions with my intentions.
As Mr. Clear says, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
Even if I didn’t get the endorphin boost or the strength gains of a longer workout, it still gave me a positive boost of motivation that carried over into other areas of my life.
When I heard Clear mention his motto, this insight came flooding back. I’ve made it a habit when it comes to exercise, but now I’m thinking about other areas of my life where I could apply this same lesson.
The obvious one is writing.
Lately, I’ve been putting it off because I have a story that I need to be in the right mindset, have a good chunk of open space, or that I need to do just this “one little thing” before I start, but then I get carried away in the day’s work.
But this year, I want to write most days. Ideally, I can carve out 45-60 minutes. But realistically, I’m going to have to start smaller.
Today was 20 minutes. I reduced the scope.
Tomorrow, let’s see.