What Do You Know About Habits?

I LOVE habits but I’m pretty ordinary at nailing them.

I’ve read and watched a lot of content from various modern and 20th century authors on habits.

This is the best video I’ve seen recently on habits. It’s from my favourite book summary YouTube channel called Productivity Game and it’s where most of my thoughts in today’s blog come from.

1. 66 days to nail a habit

Effortlessly executing a habit doesn’t happen in 28 days, if you want a lifelong habit, aim for 66 days.

2. Missing one day or two days is okay but never three

Assume you won’t get 66 days in a row. You’ll miss some. The key is to never miss three in a row. One is okay and to be expected. Get back on the horse. Two isn‘t ideal and is a warning sign. Three days missed and your chances are below 10% of nailing the habit.

3. Daily for the win

Whatever the habit is, try to create a way to attack it daily. Or if it’s a work habit attack it five days a week. Daily builds momentum for a habit to become effortless.

4. One at a time

I’m not interested in waking up one minute earlier for the good vibes. I want to focus on habits that will help me become the man I’m meant to be when I’m old and decrepit. Pick one habit at a time and focus on it for 66 days.

5. Scale after 66 days

Make it through 66 days? NOW you scale. Not before.

6. Ridiculously simple habit

The habit you should build shouldn’t be the overall goal. It should be the ridiculously simply version. For example if you want to run every day start by building a habit of running for five minutes a day not an hour a day. Nail this for 66 days (where you do at least this every day) and you’ll build to longer running down the track.

7. Write out your daily habit explicitly

Write out your daily habit including when and where you’ll do it every day.

8. Create stakes for this habit

Ask someone you trust to be your accountability partner. If you miss three days in a row for this habit in the next 66 days organise with them to have to give them something like $100 so there’s a painful consequence.

9. Go to your own funeral

Stuck about where to start? Just imagine you’re at your own funeral. How would it feel for the people most important to you to stand up and speak about you in glowing terms? What might they say that would be most special to you? Create a habit around THAT.

10. Get knocked down? Get up again.

Reading this again after failing for the 28th time? Get up and try again! The beauty of a habit is once you nail it for 66 days it becomes effortless and can be transformational for decades to come.

Never give up. You’re just one habit away from a breakthrough.