Habits are Brainless Action
Will Durant said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
I love a good overstatement. William James said, “All our life, so far as it has form, is but a mass of habits…” Actually, we don’t think about what we’re doing between 35% and 43% of the time.
Brainless action:
You don’t think about habitual actions. You just do them. I get up in the morning, drink a glass of water, refill the glass, set it on the counter, and mark it on my calendar. I don’t think about it, I just do it. By lunch, I do that routine four times. The most important part of my routine is marking it down. I don’t think about it when I manually track it.
You automatically wash your hands after using the restroom because you always do. The same goes for making coffee and taking the same exit to work.
Success is a product of brainless repetition.
Radical repetition shapes who you become. When you go to the gym once, nothing changes. You reshape your health when you go to the gym three times a week for three months.
Big is the enemy:
Bad habits are hard to break. Good habits are slow to make – unless you begin small. Leave your phone in the kitchen if you want to give yourself a few minutes of quiet when you wake up.
Small moments are the mundane ingredient of habits. What do you do at the beginning of a meeting? What about the end? Choose a behavior that contributes to success.
Bad or useful:
Bad habits corrode life. Thinking about the next task while doing the current one is a bad habit. It’s useful to be present.
What simple routines help you get where you want to go in life?
What is your advice for someone who wants to develop a good habit?
Perfect timing on this one Dan. I’m on the verge of losing my 23 year marriage because of my bad habits. This one hit me right in the chest.
Thank you for sharing this, Mark. I respect your honesty and transparency. It sounds like you’re in a really challenging place, and I’m thankful that something in this post spoke to you. I wish you strength and clarity as you navigate your future. Please feel free to keep in touch.
After a very difficult week, I think we’re on a path to rebuild our relationship. It’s all about honesty, openness, respect and responsibility, common themes here on LB. I’m smart enough to know that there’s a lot that I don’t know so we’re going to see a professional marriage counselor. Trying but good days ahead, thanks Dan.
Congratulations, Mark. Seeking support from skillful others makes a huge difference in many circumstances. I wish you success.
I love the concept that James Clear writes about in Atomic Habits about how missing a day when trying to create a new habit does not break it. Like one failure and you’re done. Instead, the idea is that, “Okay, you missed a day. Don’t start a new pattern and miss the next.”
Great point, Vern. I’m glad you brought this up. Self-criticism for failure doesn’t help us improve. A little grace gives us hope. “Ok, I missed today. Tomorrow I will…”
During my reading for this post I did read something that concerned me. In the context of New Year’s Resolutions, if you miss two days in a row there’s about a 50% chance you’re done. I couldn’t find documentation, but it’s a sobering thought.
I’ve heard or read that it takes twenty-one days to make it a habit(good or bad I would guess).
Very much enjoyed this commentary. You cite the fact that we don’t think about what we are doing between 35%-43% of the time. I clicked on your link to read more, however link was inoperable. Kindly resend link. Thank you in advance.
https://dornsife.usc.edu/wendy-wood/wp-content/uploads/sites/183/2023/10/Wood.Quinn_.Kashy_.2002_Habits_in_everyday_life.pdf
It worked for me..