Issue 179 on Habits, Aug 15, 2020.

Subscribe or learn more...
The Long Game, by Taylor Somerville

The Long Game is a newsletter for people that want to grow and challenge themselves. It is about the drive to better ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually while having t...

Subscribe or write a review...

Taylor Somerville

The Long Game - Issue #179

By Taylor Somerville • Issue #179 • View online

 

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.” James Clear

 

Our life is inevitably made up of the choices we make, including our daily habits. Our habits are the systems that drive our life. We can set goals but the key to achieving these goals is to implement the right practices. When we adopt a daily habit such as breathwork, movement or scheduled time for focused work, these actions become second nature and builds momentum. The benefit of these habits slowly build inside of us like water flowing over a rock. Each time we repeat a habit, whether good or bad, the groove gets deeper and deeper. As James clear also says, “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” Are your habits moving you forward or backward?

 

“The difference between an amateur and a professional is in their habits. An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits. We can never free ourselves from habit. But we can replace bad habits with good ones.” Steven Pressfield

 

Habits can be a tricky thing, and we all have ones we want to change such as looking at our phone first thing in the morning. Whatever you want to change, the first step is figuring out what cues you into falling back into the habit.  You see, our habits follow a predictable loop: Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward. The 5 cues that trigger our habits are time, location, preceding events, emotional state, and other people. I’ll discuss each in more detail below in hopes that it will help you rid your bad habits and build new, healthy ones. 

 

Time

We are scheduled creatures. Think about it, you likely do the same thing every morning and night before you go to bed. If you have a habit of eating late-night cookies, examine the “why” behind this behavior. Are you truly hungry or are you feeling low and reaching for a sugar hit? The key point is to recognize the time of day you are moving towards the habits you want to change and take a deeper dive into them. One way you can begin to change a bad habit is by starting a new one in the same timeframe. If you’re drinking too much coffee, set a water bottle beside your bed to remind yourself to hydrate first thing in the morning.

 

Location

This can be very powerful. For example, you return home after a long day, pour yourself a glass of wine and sit down on the couch to “de-stress”. This pattern is ingrained in you based on the location and time. You can also use location to recreate a good pattern. If you want to start a meditation practice, set aside a special place in your home where you will do your meditation. Every time you see it, you will think about meditating. The more you do it, the deeper that connection will become.

 

Preceding events

A lot of our habits are responses to other events. For example, you smoke a cigarette after every meal. The cue of your meal triggers your brain to want a cigarette. A way to start a new habit is to stack it on top of something else you do. If you want to start journaling or reading more at night, place your book by your toothbrush and stack the habits together. 

 

Emotional State

A lot of our habits are a result of the way we feel. For example, stress eating or drinking. Recognizing our emotional patterns will go a long way in breaking bad habits. The breath is key here. As you get stressed, notice your heart rate and respiration rate change and where you hold tension. As these begin to happen, instead of reaching for more food, take 3 slow and controlled breaths into the nose and out of the mouth.

 

Other people

Community is a large driver of our actions. If we hang out with people with healthy habits, we tend to adopt those. On the other hand, if our group of friends or family has bad habits, we will adopt those habits. We are tribal people and when we find a group we go along. Look at who you are hanging around. If you really want to make a change, sometimes you have to change the people you’re with. 

 

We all have a vision in our head of where we want to go in life and what we want to accomplish. Do you have the habits that will push you to this place or are you just taking every day as it comes? I encourage you to look at the habits in your life and what is triggering them. Use these 5 cues to create awareness around your bad habits. I’ll be devoting the next few weeks of this newsletter to discussing the three steps of the habit loop to transform our bad habits into good.

 

 

6 Habits of Highly Focused People | by Nick Wignall | Personal Growth | Jul, 2020 | Medium

 

6 Habits of Highly Focused People | by Nick Wignall | Personal Growth | Jul, 2020 | Medium

9 minutes 📖

medium.com  •  Share

 

 

Modern society makes focusing on the task at hand more difficult by the day. We are overrun with technology that is meant to suck us in. Ruthlessly eliminating distractions is one habit that will build your focus muscle. Turn off all notifications on your phone, the TV and any other sources stealing your focus and make time for deep work and focused conversations with your loved ones. You can read more about the other steps in the article.

 

How to Have the Best Week Ever - RyanHoliday.net

 

How to Have the Best Week Ever - RyanHoliday.net

7 minutes 📖

ryanholiday.net  •  Share

 

 

Ryan Holiday’s principles and Stoic approach to life can go a long way in dealing with the world we live in and giving you agency over your life. We don’t need to get caught up and upset with others. A lot will get thrown at you but it is your choice in how you react or response. If you want to respond in a negative way, get out and move instead, burn off that negative energy.

 

The Lazy Way To An Awesome Life: 3 Secrets Backed By Research - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

 

The Lazy Way To An Awesome Life: 3 Secrets Backed By Research - Barking Up The Wrong Tree

12 minutes 📖

www.bakadesuyo.com  •  Share

 

 

 

This is a great one. 2020 has been a hell of a year and most of us want to wait it out. The problem is - we can’t. Life will go on and you must continue moving forward and taking action. If you wait around until the time is right or you feel like you’re in the mood, nothing will ever get done. Decide what you want, set a plan, and get to work.

___________________________________________________

 

Before I go, check out a few more interesting articles I found.

Body weight has surprising, alarming impact on brain function

Breathing Through Your Nose Is Healthier for You

5 Steps to Becoming Insanely Successful…or Whatever | Mark Manson

 

Don’t forget to checkout my free E-book, Change your Breath, Change your Life.

 

If you would like to support The Long Game, please visit my patreon page. I hope you enjoyed another edition of The Long Game, feel free to pass it along. Have a great weekend!

 

In Health,

Taylor


Subscribe or write a review...