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Self-Improvement

What If We Could Re-Program Our Brains To Make Habits Easy?

Ev Chapman
May 31, 2021
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What if we're thinking of habits all wrong?

A couple of days ago Jackson Steger wrote an essay that I really can't stop thinking about. About values based habits and goals. Rather than building habits based on external outcomes we built them on our internal values instead?

Here's an example of a habit I've built that is based on my values. Whenever I walk into the grocery store I always bring my own bag. I do it because I have a deep conviction (a value) that by not buying plastic bags I'm doing something (anything) to save our planet.

This got me thinking about other values that are important to me. One of those is EASE. If an action is not relatively easy or smooth to do, it immediately becomes a roadblock.

By knowing and acknowledging the value, I can create an environment & systems where my habits thrive:

👉 Preparing food the night before so I'm not tempted to just grab a pastry in the morning

👉 My habit of brain dumping an essay idea whenever inspiration strikes

👉 Sorting the laundry as I go so it's easy to get it in the wash at any time.

The lens I live my life through now is 'What Can I Do Today To Make Tomorrow Easier?'

Now that I'm aware this is the lens I live my life through I can create habits that support that value, rather than trying to force habits to happen.

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