The book that had a big impact on me in 2019 was Atomic Habits by James Clear
The idea that it is the consistency that matters and that committing to one tiny small action daily and embarking on a 1% better journey can have a massive impact, was a big paradigm shift for me.
For most of my life, I have been setting big goals only to be let down by not moving towards them incrementally.
It is the process, the flow of our daily life that holds the key to lasting sustainable change and the manifestation of our deepest yearnings and ambitions.
You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. ―John C. Maxwell
I have shared my very high "tech habit" tracker above. For an intensely private person, this is way out of my comfort zone, but I just want to highlight that the process of making 1% progress can be very simple. You can see that some habits are doing better than others - if I tick 3 out of 7, I’m doing well. I also track things I would like to reduce – like having coffee for example. Progress over perfection is the key mantra here.
There is something powerful about making the progress visible. Conversely, the neglect is more obvious too. In my mind I do yoga every second day, however, the tracker makes it clear that the gaps are much bigger than that. Tracking helps me to take ownership, become more accountable and aware and it improves my decision making.
If you pick the right small behaviour and sequence it right, then you won’t have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot. ―BJ Fogg
Here are 3 powerful questions from jamesclear.com to help you clarify what you want to give your 1% better commitment to:
1. What is the most neglected important area in my life right now?
2. Can my current habits carry me to my desired future?
3. What is one thing that I am willing to commit to daily that will have the biggest impact on my life right now?