“We are what we repeatedly do.” This brainy quote is attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. It’s a no-brainer that bad habits can practically derail your life, while the good ones make it much easier. It takes 21 days for an act to become a habit, people say. That’s a long time, which can easily challenge your consistency. So, is there any other way to form new healthy habits and give up the bad ones? The answer lies in - micro-habits. As the year 2021 is bidding us goodbye and we are staring at a new year, let’s look at nine micro-habits you can adopt in 2022 that can endow you with good health and productivity.
What Are Micro-Habits?
You decide to read a book. You grab your favourite one, throw yourself on the couch and start reading through the pages, fully resolved you would finish it in a day. Just thinking about such a scenario, you know this is no easy task. Getting distracted and losing steam is way easier in today’s world than getting focused. So, what can you do differently to achieve your set goal? Another way of getting there is to read a page each day or read for 10-15 minutes each night before bedtime. This is much easier, both in terms of the act and consistency. This is what a micro-habit is. By making small additions and adjustments to your daily routine, you steer towards a bigger goal.
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Benefits Of Micro-Habits
Before embracing these micro-habits, you need to know why these work in the first place. Here is why micro-habits work:
- Easy: These are easier, to begin with. If you want to take up any new activity, instead of going all out for it, make small micro-habits and include them in your daily routine. Want to start exercising? Start with a 10-minute morning workout routine, instead of picking up a difficult goal, you might not be able to continue with it.
- Consistency: Since micro-habits are easier, these are also easier to stick to. Hence, there are greater chances you would be consistent with these. And, with consistency, you would surely reach your goal.
- No Excuses: Micro-habits are easier as compared to the huge goals we set for ourselves. If you decide to read a page each day, you would have lesser room to make excuses, instead of a scenario in which you decide to read the whole book in one sitting.
- Easier To Become A Habit: You start meditating for 10 minutes before bedtime. It’s easy. You are consistent. After a few days, this will become a habit and you would feel as if you’re missing something the day you wouldn’t do it.
- Give Up Bad Habits: Not just the good ones, micro-habits are effective in giving up bad habits too. Instead of going all out for quitting smoking, smoke a cigarette less for a week, followed by even lesser, and slowly, you would realise you are less dependent on those cigarettes.
Whether to start something new or give up bad habits, incorporating micro-habits is a great way to do it.
Also read: Eating Habits To Inculcate In Your Child For Healthy Life
Micro-Habits For Health & Productivity
Making resolutions at the end of each year is somewhat of a ritual. Although many of us forget about them on the first day itself. The more resolute amongst us are consistent for a few more days, but that’s it. As the new year is just a few hours away, here are nine micro-habits you can adopt for a healthy and productive 2022:
1# 10-Minute Exercise
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‘I’ll start exercising this year,’ if there was a book about the most common resolutions people make, this one would probably feature right on top. Exercising and getting healthy is a long process. So, why not start with something easy and short, like doing a 10-minute workout every morning? Why morning? Although there is no particular right time to work out, when you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which are chemicals that make you feel good. And what’s better than starting the day on a positive note?
2# Eat Fewer Unhealthy Snacks
Eating healthy is a vague goal, but eating less unhealthy is a definite one. So, eat one unhealthy snack less each day, this could be your second micro-habit for 2022. Eat one less sweat or a slice of pizza, it could be anything that takes you close to your fitness goal.
3# Journaling
In a journey that is life, you cannot just dash towards your goal without pause. You need time off, to reflect, introspect, rewind, and reset. And journaling can help you with it. Just take 10 minutes out in the morning to write how you want your day to go. Similarly, take a few minutes in the night and reflect on how your day went, what were the things you did right, which were the ones you could have done better. These 20 minutes can make a huge difference in your life.
4# Set Intention
Just like journaling, setting an intention for the day can define how you lead your day. It can be anything, being more social, being more confident, eating healthier, reading well, managing temper. It can help you to plan your day better.
5# Morning & Night Ritual
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Those who have a morning and a night ritual cannot do without them. Basically, you do certain activities after getting up in the morning, which helps you to start your day on a positive note and be more productive. Similarly, you can have a routine before bedtime that helps you rewind and relax, and a good night’s sleep. In fact, a night ritual can impact how your next day is going to be.
6# Focus On Daily Maintenance
Spearheading towards one’s goals looks good in movies, not in real life. In reality, we have domestic chores to do, clean, cook, etc. When it comes to making our lives easier, daily maintenance is crucial. Hence, incorporate these as your micro-habits, to clean daily, to make healthy meals, and do the domestic chores that day itself.
#7 Take Time Out For Hobbies
Just 30 minutes for hobbies can provide you with that much-needed breather that can energise you. Hence, in this new year, devote some time each day to your hobbies. It can even help you to know yourself better.
#8 Read More
Not everyone is a reader. But this act can make you learn, develop, and grow. Reading is not about knowing facts, but understanding the world around you better. Hence, take some time out each day for reading. It could be as simple as reading a page each day. If you are not into books, read a newspaper or a magazine, anything that goes with your personality.
Also read: 6 Hygiene Habits All Men Should Follow
9# Less Time On Social Media
Technology and the internet have seeped deep into our lives, and so has social media. Though not a bad thing, many tend to spend an awful amount of time scrolling through their Instagram and Twitter feeds. It has a psychological impact too. Although doing away with social media altogether might not be a feasible thing to do, however, spending less time it can give you space to focus on tasks that are much more important and help you grow.
So, these are nine micro-habits you can incorporate into your daily life for a healthy and productive 2022. Do remember the way is to incorporate these into your daily routine, and gradually grow upon it.