Category: Building Habits

The Secret To Going Further

Published on October 1, 2023

The secret to going further isn’t to go faster/harder… it’s to go slower/easier.

I learned this when I ran my first ever ultramarathon. “A pinch above walking” was the mantra that kept me moving all the way through and past that seemingly unreachable finish line (that took nearly seven hours to cross).

I learned this when I added a constraint to my daily writing practice at the end of my first 365-ish days. I was writing around 1000-2000 words daily (and hastily)—including weekends—in an effort to try and prove to my audience (and myself) that I could be a decent writer. Until finally, I realized that I was resenting the process, writing in misery, and trying to prove something that didn’t need proving. And making 280 words my daily constraint (about 1 minute worth of reading) not only dissolved the resentment and misery, but added joy and *length* to my process (on upwards of 1250+ days now with little to no feelings of fatigue).

I learned this when I learned that being in a hurry is an excellent sign that you’re not enjoying the process… and not enjoying the process is one of the biggest mistakes we can make when life—our only life—is exactly that: a process. And sometimes we can get so caught up (brainwashed?) into believing that the ends are what’ll bring us enjoyment that we forget about the means. When in reality, the means are everything and the only place enjoyment will ever truly be found.

P.s. I created a NEW guide that details how you can best apply this principle to your life. I hope you’ll check it out ➜

Make Daily What’s Always A Good Idea

Published on September 25, 2023

I take my dog for a walk every night—regardless of how I’m feeling.

…Even if I’m sick or sore or the weather is crappy.

I walked her when I had COVID, on the days I ran marathons (and the mornings after), and when we’ve had torrential rain.

In fact, over the course of the last five years I’ve had her, we’ve only ever missed when I was traveling or as a result of rare extenuating circumstances (like the Buffalo Blizzard of ’22).

So long as it’s safe—going for a walk outside is almost always a good idea.

…The fresh air; the natural elements; the time apart from screens; the low-impact movement, the neighborly interactions; the time to think and let the mind settle; and so on.

Things like this—the things that are essentially always good ideas—should be kept as top priorities in our lives.

As obvious as this sounds you have to ask yourself how often you do the things you know are good for you… and how often you let yourself talk your own self out of doing those very things.

Daily is the key. Don’t go for occasional or “when you feel like it.”

Make daily what’s always a good idea.

Pro-tip: if following through is hard for you, you could always try getting a dog… once they’re in routine, they’ll keep you accountable better than any app, quote, or coach. Of this, I’m sure.

Sub 100%

Published on August 16, 2023

Another day I rise… another day I didn’t want to exercise.

My body was sore, my eyes were heavy, and my energy levels were low.

And yet, today was another day when I exercised anyway.

How?

I gave myself permission to workout at sub 100%.

I showed up sore, heavy, and low. Gave myself an extended warm-up and mobility session. Took a mile and a half jog at my ~50% pace. Then, spent 30ish minutes deep stretching.

And now I feel great.

Being sore, heavy, and low aren’t excuses to skip top priority tasks—they’re reasons to adjust your pace so you can keep your top priority tasks at the top.

Remember: consistency over intensity every day of the week.

A Step Back From Complicated

Published on August 3, 2023

When I first started writing daily, I felt a strong inclination to share pictures with each post.

I knew that images grab attention and might hook along more readers.

I also knew that images can add a level of communication for the visually inclined learners that words alone might not provide.

But, what I also knew was finding the right image added steps to my daily process… it took time to thoroughly search, download, reformat, resize, upload, caption, add metadata, etc.

…Sometimes, this process even took me longer than writing the words themselves!

Which is why, in spite of the obvious benefits of having images associated with my writing, I decided against using them.

It’s important to remember that when you set out to do something, you don’t have to do it in the absolute best way you know how. Sometimes (oftentimes), it’s best to just keep it simple and cut out anything and everything that doesn’t have to do with the core of the work itself.

A single step back from complicated is worth a dozen steps forward (or more) in simplicity.

Future Proofing Habits

Published on July 30, 2023

What’s the one daily habit you know you should build into your lifestyle more than any other? (e.g. Exercise)

Good. Now, answer me this:

What’s the smallest viable version of that daily habit (i.e. What can you do, that will require the least effort, that will still count as a completion of that task)? (e.g. jog around the block once).

Okay. Finish by reflecting on this:

What’s an even smaller viable version of that daily habit that you can do when you’re sick or injured? (e.g. walk around the block once or do a light stretching session for 10-20 minutes).

The goal with daily habits is to keep them daily. Not just because of the benefits of the task you’re doing, but because of the momentum that comes from the streak. Which means one of your top priorities needs to be no zero days.

And if you have the above questions answered, you’ll be ready for the days when you’re most likely to break your streak.

By planning for the days when you’re tired/ busy/ or lazy (which will likely be most of your future days lol), and by planning for the days when you’re sick or injured (which will account for a good handful for sure), you’re essentially future proofing your daily task.

…Because if there’s anything I’ve learned about the future it’s that it’s going to be way harder than we think. And the good part is, if we plan for it to be that way, the only surprise will be when it’s not.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

Drifting Downstream

Published on June 14, 2023

The mind is no pond.

The mind is a river.

Constantly moving and circling and crashing…

If we want to keep certain thoughts at the top of our mind, we need to make a deliberate effort to paddle those thoughts forward—to the forefront—or else they will slowly drift downstream and into the darker parts of our conscious/ subconscious mind.

There is no thought that just floats unmoving in the forefront—especially no thought that we WANT to keep at the forefront.

Those thoughts need to be paddled, brought forward intentionally through effort, and done so regularly as the stream is always flowing.

And while the stream may present some good at the forefront, it also presents a ton of crap, too. Especially for those who dump toxic, wasteful, comparative junk into the rivers of their mind via media, news, and gossip.

So, just because you’ve had a great thought once—or a thousand times for that matter—don’t assume that it’s “in your mind” and that it can be checked off your list.

Nope.

It, too, will drift downstream—from top of mind to bottom of the subconscious, like water running down a mountain, as all thoughts do—and continue to do so until you choose to paddle it back forward.

So, if you want to have gratitude, optimism, and love, for example, at the forefront of your mind as you go about your days… you’ll need to plan the padding of those thoughts into your days, too.

And every day you don’t paddle, the further downstream those thoughts will go.

P.s. For paddle inspiration, bookmark this page. I post 2-5 quotes daily for my own mind’s sake.

Matching Words To Actions (and Actions To Words)

Published on December 21, 2022

What letter grade would you give yourself for actually doing the things you say you’re going to do? A-? B? …F?

If you are failing in follow through—in matching your actions to your words—everything in your life will be affected.

Fix this by making smaller promises/ announcements/ goals and remembering not to agree to things you don’t seriously think you’ll be able to do.

Refocus your efforts from trying to capture HUGE word-to-action matchings and start accumulating mountains of small matchings instead. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days!—tell yourself that you’re going to show up to the gym for 15 of the next 30 days.

The house of trust is built one brick at a time.

The wrecking ball of mistrust slams against those bricks every time you don’t follow through on your word.

Build patiently. Commit consciously. Do everything you can to NOT slam that wrecking ball into your walls. It’s much harder to build than it is to destroy. And until we build a house of trust with ourselves, we won’t have a roof we can house our best lives in.