Habits: Become aware of your daily habits
Create a habits scorecard to increase your awareness of your daily habits.
What makes habits useful is that you can notice a cue and respond to it unconsciously and automatically. A cue is something that initiates a habit. Before you go to bed (cue), you automatically floss and brush your teeth (response). After getting into a car (cue), you automatically fasten your seatbelt (response).
The ability to perform habits unconsciously also makes them dangerous because they can keep you stuck in unhelpful patterns. You’re trying to lose weight, but every time there is a jar of delicious cookies at arm's length (cue), you automatically eat a few (response). When you feel anxious in a social setting where alcohol is easily available (cue), you automatically consume several glasses of alcohol (response).
You must become aware of your unconscious and automatic habits before you can change them. To increase your awareness, you are going to write down a list of your daily habits and assess whether they are good, neutral or bad for you in the long run. The only purpose of this phase is to increase your awareness, not to change anything.
1️⃣ Create a list of your daily habits
Grab a pen and paper, or open an electronic document. Write ‘Daily Habits’ at the top of a new page. You will write down the descriptions of your daily habits in a list. You can split the list into different parts, such as morning, afternoon, and evening. In each habit description, use a verb form that describes what you do (the response). Always include what initiates the habit (the cue). Examples: Have breakfast at eight o’clock. Brush my teeth before I go to bed.
The goal is to create a habits scorecard that is as complete as possible. Pay special attention to your unconscious habits. Use a combination of the following steps to create the list.
👉 Mentally walk through a few days to identify and document your daily habits.
👉 Document your habits for a few days, as soon as possible after you actually perform them.
👉 Ask friends, family members or close colleagues for their insights about your habits. You may discover habits you are not aware of.
Be genuinely curious, like a journalist or scientist, about your habits. Investigate them as if you were observing someone else. Don’t judge your habits or criticise yourself, just notice what you’re actually doing. If necessary, reduce the impact of unhelpful thoughts and feelings.
Here are some examples of daily habits. Get out of bed after waking up. Biting my nails when I feel stressed. Buy a donut on my way to the office. Going to the gym at 8 a.m. Listening to a podcast while working out at the gym. Take a shower after exercising. Mindlessly scrolling through social media when I am bored. Brush my teeth after breakfast. Check my email before I go to work. Apologising when it's not necessary. Have a snack around four in the afternoon. Take multivitamins with dinner. Floss and brush my teeth before going to bed. Interrupting others while they are speaking.
2️⃣ Assess your habits
For each habit on your list, decide whether it is good, neutral or bad for you in the long term.
Once you have a complete habit list, rate each habit as good (+), neutral (=) or bad (-). Some habits are intrinsically good (e.g. regular exercise) or bad in the long term (e.g. smoking). For other habits, this may depend on your situation and the result you want to achieve.
👉 Good habits are habits that benefit you in the long term, help you become the type of person you want to be, and align with your life purpose and personal values. For example, habits related to regular exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, good hydration, mindfulness and financial planning.
👉 Bad habits are habits that harm you in the long run, that prevent you from becoming the type of person you want to be, or that are not aligned with your life purpose and personal values. For example, habits related to smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of physical activity, unsafe driving and lack of sleep.
All habits benefit you in some way, even the bad ones, and that’s why you keep repeating them. Smoking may benefit you in the moment by reducing stress, but it can harm your health in the long run.
👉 Neutral habits are habits that are neither good nor bad. Examples: nail biting, watching TV in moderation, moderate use of social media, the occasional snack or mild caffeine consumption.
Indicate after each habit in your list whether the habit is good (+), bad (-) or neutral (=).
Don’t criticise yourself for your bad habits, just evaluate your habits as objectively as possible. If necessary, defuse unhelpful thoughts, stop mentally fighting difficult feelings and hold your self-stories lightly.
3️⃣ Save your habits scorecard
Save your habits scorecard as this information is necessary for building desired habits and breaking unwanted habits.
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Before you can change your habits, you need to become aware of them. Creating a habits scorecard helps you become aware of your daily habits and whether they are good, neutral, or bad for you in the long run.
References
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
My blogposts about habits are available here:
https://www.a3lifedesign.com/blog-english/category/Habits
