Three habits you should start today :
I could write on the following three habits:
1- Get more rest.
2- Workout more.
3- Start meditating.
While these routines are crucial, who am I trying to fool here if ChatGPT can provide me with the exact same answers?
Having said that, here are the three behaviors I wish I had started sooner:
1. Writing down my ideas and thoughts :
Everyone is familiar with David Allen's well-known adage:
"Your mind should generate ideas, not store them".
22 years passed before I understood this.
Numerous aspects of my early life have benefited greatly from memorization.
- I had to learn the right and wrong things to say to "fit in" with the cool kids in high school in order to survive social situations.
- I had to memorize pointless dates, figures, and information in order to pass even more pointless tests in order to survive university.
- I had to constantly remind myself of a list of things in order to remember what I needed to accomplish in order to get through the day.
Only in the past year or two did I notice how much time and mental effort I was devoting to memorizing information.
The opportunity cost is that I could be using this energy to accomplish other things like make things, come up with new ideas, or simply relax.
As a result, I now spend 80% of my day capturing rather than memorizing.
What then do I do?
There is only one easy rule: I always jot down any ideas, thoughts, or other things that strike a chord with me. Take it in.
If, while waiting for a train, I had an idea for a cool blog article that I could write about, I would jot it down. If an old acquaintance was chatting to me and mentioned a great quotation, I would "politely" interrupt him and take note of it.
Intriguingly, the act of writing down or photographing things has not only helped me remember more details, but it has also allowed me to get rid of a ton of unneeded clutter, giving my mind more space and clarity.
Additionally, it has greatly reduced my anxiety.
Here's another angle I find appealing: I think I can hear a voice within my skull. This voice embodies my ability to be creative, my moral compass, and my authentic self. This voice talks to me whenever a thought or an idea strikes a chord with me.
Will I truly ignore it?
2. Taking back items I've dropped:
Okay, I realize this one sounds odd. Taking something up? What on earth does that even mean?
I have had the poor habit of not picking up things I drop for a very long time. Examples include a small lettuce leaf that falls from my lunch or a toothpaste smear that lands on the sink.
These may initially seem little, and indeed, that is precisely what I believed, so why is it that in a public or social setting, I wouldn't think twice about picking it up?
I started to realize that many of my behaviors are strongly impacted by social pressure or possibly even the fear of being criticized when I asked myself this question.
Beyond just picking up stuff I've dropped, this extends to things like deciding to work in too crowded coffee shops because it feels more "productive" or doing an extra four reps because an attractive girl is exercising next to me.
I don't want to imply that peer pressure is bad. In fact, there are moments when the extra pressure helps us perform better.
I realized the problem when I thought to myself, "How do I act when no one is looking?"
How will I ever achieve my fitness objectives if I only give my best effort when under social pressure?
How will I achieve in my academics and profession if the only thing that motivates me is when I know someone is looking?
When I can't even pick up my own trash, how can I know that my house is clean for when my parents come to visit?
Hamza once said, "Do the hard thing, especially when you don't feel like it."
Do the difficult thing, especially when no one is looking, is something I'd like to add to that. And it begins with grabbing the items I've dropped.
3. Opting out :
A straightforward word that can seems like a mountain to conquer. I still have a hard time with this final habit.
My difficulty to say no is a result of desiring other people's acceptance, being afraid of missing out, and trying to stay out of confrontations.
Saying yes to cool experiences or fun tasks at work for example is not necessarily unhealthy — some of my most fond memories came from agreeing to do something I did not plan for.
Saying yes to amazing events or enjoyable duties at work, for instance, is not always unhealthy; some of my favorite memories involve doing something I had not planned on.
However, the truth is that we can only give the world so much time and energy.
The simple solution is no if saying yes conflicts with your objectives, your values, and most crucially, your health.
Why then, how do I know when to refuse?
One way to look at it is to suggest that whenever we say yes to one thing, we are simultaneously saying no to another. It's just opportunity cost, really.
Say a few buddies ask to go out for drinks on a Friday night.
If I say yes to it, I must also be conscious of what I am rejecting.
I might decline to conduct some much-needed studying in this situation. I might not be working on a side project I've been putting off. If that kind of night is implied, I could be declining a restful night's sleep.
This paradigm will enable me to begin making wiser decisions. More significantly, I can start using my time more effectively.
