The reason little changes work is because they are powerful enough to bring the compound benefit of big results, but do not push us too far out of our comfort zone by setting the bar low. And doing something that will change your life doesn’t always mean sweating the heck out of it or overhauling everything. It’s sometimes all about bringing into focus what we are already doing so that we are more consistent and more intentional about them.
5 Microhabits that will change your life
When we do something consistently, it becomes more or loss of a habit. So, bringing some of the things you already do into focus potentially turns it into a habit. And these 5 microhabits are what will help you shape your life in a powerful way.
1. Do nothing
Do absolutely nothing, like ‘daydreaming staring into space’ nothing. How it works is, when we do nothing that requires any kind of processing information, the DMN or default mode network in our brain kicks in. And this is closely linked with memory and creativity coming up with creative solutions to our problems.
And as psychologist Dr. Scott Bea says,
“When you take breaks, you can solve problems in fresher ways than you could if you just kept your nose to the grindstone. Our brains are like any machine: They need rest.”
Sitting in front of the TV or scrolling on the phone doesn’t count as a break. If sitting still without anything to fidget feels uncomfortable, get some fresh air. Go out in nature if possible.
If not, do something that requires the least amount of thinking, something mindless that will make your mind wander.
2. Minimize regrets
One of the biggest things that will change our life, make it a more satisfying one, is minimizing the number of regrets we collect over time. Sometimes they are things that just skipped our mind
And even though we might not realize it, unfinished tasks take away from how much we can focus on the things we are supposed to be doing.
It’s called the Zeigarnik effect – our mind’s tendency to forget things we have finished and stay fixated on the unfinished ones because our brain doesn’t like open loops. It distracts us from the things that we need to do.
What psychology research done at Florida State University suggests is simply to make a to-do list. The mere act of planning when and how to do them completes the loop and frees up our attention.
But if you are a lists person you’d know there’s more to it. They not only help us stay organized and know that everything’s covered… reducing stress in our life, but reviewing last week’s or last month’s to-do list we can also get a clear understanding of where our priorities lie or which parts are getting neglected.
3. Less is more
We have only very limited time and energy to spend in a day and to make sure that it’s enough for the things we really value, the things that will change your life, we need to remove all the clutter.
Identify all those things that are no longer working, goals or connections we have outgrown or situations that are distracting us into a direction we have no wish of going, anything that’s cluttering up our life because that creates unnecessary stress taking away from the time we could have spent enjoying life.
Everyone’s life situation is unique, so you would know best what would work for you, but one thing that works universally is to ask why every time.
Asking why is important because it not only clarifies whether saying yes or no to something, committing to something would fit in with what we want from our life, but it also helps us finish the things we begin.
When we are convinced of the value of something in our life, it becomes easier to come up with creative solutions to problems & stay motivated to see the thing through.
For the next 2 things that pay off when are more intentional about them, watch the video at the top or head over here.
