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Most people have a to-do list but have you tried a to-be list? A list of a person or persons you want to become. If so, then building good habits will help you become it.
I’m currently listening to Kevin Kruse’s audiobook, 15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management. In it, the author stated that successful people do not keep to-do lists. And that they work instead according to what’s on their calendar.
This is a good idea, more so because I myself am not fond of making to-lists. For the simple reason that they don’t get done. Almost always, something comes up that prevents me from completing the task.
Furthermore, what made me think about the author’s statement is that instead of a to-do list, why not make a To BE list? That is if you want to live a better, happier, or healthier life. Why not put in the effort To BE that person?
What is a to BE list?
A to-be list is a list of how or who you want to be. It’s a list about BEING a person rather than DOING a task. That is, to be present, engaged, approachable, confident, and so on.
TO BE THE PERSON YOU WISH TO BE. Developing values, confidence, and other qualities that will make you a better person overall.
This is not to say that the person we are right now is insufficient. But humans are hardwired for growth.
As a result, we devise methods to improve how things are done. We strive to simplify processes in order to save time and money while reducing, if not completely eliminating, waste.
In the same vein, we want to grow as individuals. And we hope that by improving, we will be able to make a difference in the lives of our family, friends, coworkers, and other people in general.
As grand as this may seem. It is possible when you put in the effort in building good habits for your to BE.
What are habits
Habits are the thoughts or actions that you resort to doing without much thought. It’s the brain’s way of saving energy for later use in more important tasks.
The brain however does not qualify whether a habit is good or bad. Therefore it is critical that you make the decision to develop good habits. Alternatively, replace the bad with the good in order to improve your life.
Developing good habits is essential for the following reasons:
- Habits have a way of defining you. For this reason, good habits allow you to accomplish your to BE list.
- They increase your chances of achieving your objectives.
- Good habits serve as the foundation for a successful life.
- Habits are responsible for 40% of your daily thoughts and actions. So, with good habits in place, you save nearly half of the effort required in a day. It gives you more energy to concentrate on your creativity, etc.
- Following on from the previous point, having good habits then, can outperform motivation.
Why build good habits
It is a wise decision to develop a good habit to embody the person you want to BE. This is due to the fact that habits become ingrained in your mind. And once established, good habits are difficult to break.
Additionally, it is better to build good habits to achieve success because of the following reasons:
You can start small
The process of habit formation is simplified when starting in the smallest way you can think of.
For example, if you want to BE a person who loves reading, you can begin by reading a page from a book that interests you. As the days pass, increase the number of pages you read. This way, you can be certain that you will develop the habit of reading and become a person who is into reading.
You can habit stack
That is, you can build one good habit on top of an existing one.
Assume you’ve already established the habit of regular exercise. Meditation after your workout is one habit you can build on. Meditation helps to relax the mind. As a result, it is an excellent way to prepare your mind for work following a rigorous exercise regimen.
Saves time and effort
Building good habits saves you time and effort that could be spent on concentration or creativity.
When the majority of your actions become habits, your brain has more mental energy to think outside the box. Consider solutions to problems, detect ideas, or discover opportunities that it would have missed if it had been preoccupied with making minor decisions.
You can prioritize important tasks
Because habits become automatic, they no longer necessitate the same level of mental energy for decision-making. Fewer decisions mean fewer chances of decision fatigue.
And to make the most of your day, prioritize your important tasks to take advantage of your energized mind.
You can automate success
Again, because habits are automatic, developing good habits then is equivalent to automating your success.
For example, if you want to BE a sociable person, develop the habit of listening intently. And also share your own thoughts or feelings. Develop the habit of empathizing with others.
For success at work, develop the habit of focusing on tasks that need to get done first. This also means not multi-tasking as it will only divide your attention and will use more mental energy.
You should also develop the habit of removing distractions such as social media or emails. Set a time and a limit for these activities.
These actions as well as other beneficial thoughts, feelings, or actions that you make a habit will set you up for a life of success.
How to build good habits
It is a simple process to develop good habits. However, simple does not imply easy. Because your current habits are already entrenched. Changing them will take a lot of willpower and a deeply compelling reason.
Once you have your reason or your WHY, here are the simple steps in building good habits.
Take action
Yep, the first step is you just have to start. There’s no need to wait for the perfect moment, or for Monday, or the New Year to begin. Take action as soon as you decide to change something. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s words:
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
Start small
To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., you don’t have to take on the entire staircase when you begin your journey. Start small.
Concentrate on the first step, which leads to the second. And then the third, until you reach the top of the staircase and celebrate your accomplishment.
Starting small also means lesser resistance to the change you’re initiating. And will make your habit formation more likely to stick.
Reward yourself
One of the reasons why building good habits fail is that the results are not immediate. Bad habits on the other hand provide instant gratification.
As a result, we lose sight of our good intentions or the reasons why we want to change our habits. Also, it is far too easy to revert to our old bad habits.
To prevent this, devise a reward system for your good actions. Establishing a reward system enables the brain to produce feel-good hormones.
With repetition, your brain will anticipate a reward by associating it with your actions. As a result, you will most likely perform and complete the action with less difficulty.
As an example, after completing a month of healthy eating, reward yourself with a massage. Alternatively, after a week of regular exercise, watch one film on Netflix. You can also schedule an hour for video games after reading a book or level up with a new skill.
Make the reward pleasurable enough to keep the habit going. However, make certain that the reward you choose will not have a negative impact on the good habit you are attempting to establish.
Summary
To summarize, building good habits allow you to become the person you set to BE. For the simple reason that habits are automatic thoughts or actions, we do each day.
It is also for this reason that you need to build good habits as they will play an instrumental role in the success of your habit formation. Additionally, good habits help to achieve success because of the following reasons:
- You can start small
- You can habit stack
- Saves you time and effort
- You can prioritize important tasks
- You can automate success
Here are the necessary steps in building good habits:
- Take action
- Start small
- Create a reward system
Please share your thoughts about this article in the comments below. You might be interested in these articles as well:
Top 10 Reasons Why Change Is Difficult
How To Start Over Even When You Feel Old
9 Effective Habits For A Happy Life
29 Quotes To Make Change A Little Easier
9 Powerful Soft Skills You Need In Writing
How TO-BE Rather Than TO-DO
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