Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit is an awesome book that gets into the science of decision-making and forming habits. My favorite takeaway from the book is that habits are things we end up doing automatically, meaning we don't even have to use as much energy to think about doing them.
If you're like me, you think waaay too much.
Thinking isn't inherently a bad thing. People tend to associate overthinking with being emotional, and that's fine. There's nothing wrong with being an emotional person. Accept it; run with it. :)
But there a lot of things we tend to overthink that can be easily simplified. For example, some people wear the same jeans and shirts every day so they don't have to think about what to wear. Some eat the same breakfast, drive the same commute, or walk their dogs on the same path. I get bored with super rigid routines, so it takes practice finding what works.
Where does minimalism come into creating habits? Well, think of the first example: wearing the same outfit every day. That requires minimizing your closet and getting rid of all your clothing that doesn't align with that outfit. I like to see minimalism as a tool in addition to a lifestyle. Usually, it helps me set myself up for even bigger forward steps.
Think of it as clearing mental space for doing what's most important. If you need some help getting started, I recommend cleaning out your email subscriptions. I've been needing to do this for weeks and I'll probably avoid checking my inbox as often as I should until it's done. 🙈
What habits are you working on or wanting to get started? Where could spend time minimizing things to make room for the habits you want to create?
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Top comments (3)
For me the largest thing was to simplify/minimize my work environment when working on difficult problems. The more complex the application, the more minimalist I need my work environment to be. I do this by taking only my laptop outside and working at a cafe. It removes me from my normal living/working environment, where I'm constantly reminded I still need to do laundry/dishes/admin/socializing and it allows me to only focus on work.
For me, I need to work on structuring my eating habits and I also think some weekend meal prep will be really beneficial later on in the week.
Proverbial Wisdom asks you to "Remember, if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail."
With that thought in mind, here's one person's weekly meal prep routine.