Note: this post was originally written as an Atomic Essay as part of Ship 30 for 30 and posted on Twitter. I’ve copied the essay content here so it isn’t just lost in the endlessness of the Twitter feed. Enjoy!
We all know it: habits are great and powerful. They can be the catalyst for massive personal growth.
But in order to experience personal growth you DO NOT need to adopt every single beneficial habit.
And contrary to what the internet may tell you, your life will not fall apart if you don’t have the perfect morning routine.
If you’re someone who has tried out lots of habits without success or has created a complicated morning routine and then struggled to actually complete it routinely, I see you. And I’ve been there.
Instead of trying to find more willpower to force myself to complete specific activities every day, I leaned into the discomfort and let my curiosity guide me.
Below are 3 things I found that work for me. Let this be a guide or inspiration for your own exploration into what works for you. I will never claim that my way is the right way. I’m here to encourage you to find YOUR way.
🛠 Build a Toolbox of Beneficial Behaviors. Think of it like Mary Poppins’ magic bag. She can reach in that thing and pull out whatever is needed at any given time. You can do the same with your habits – mix and match based on what helps you thrive.
✨ Tune Into Your Intuition. The same as you crave certain foods sometimes, you also crave certain kinds of movement, challenge or even rest. Learn to tune into those cravings and give your mind and body what they’re asking for.
🧘🏼♀️ Embrace Flexible Structure. Instead cramming your day full of complicated routines, create a container of a specific length of time or commit to doing 1-3 beneficial behaviors daily. Choose the structure that works for you and then fill it with things from your toolbox.
If you’re not sure what beneficial behaviors you enjoy (or make you feel good) or you don’t have very strong intuition, the 30-Day Experiments method I wrote about yesterday is a great way to give yourself space to explore.
In my experience, the more you test out behaviors, the more you’ll notice the craving for your favorites.
