SMALL CHANGES IN DAILY ROUTINES CAN LEAD TO BETTER HABITS
We have all tried to get the perfect healthy routine in our daily activities. Some have managed to find their routine which works, while other are still struggling and caught in the ongoing slump. But, what if there is an easy way to help you gain better habits and a healthier routine. Creator Kurzgesagt, has taken an animated look at the difference between routines and habits. In his animated video he noted how small changes in your daily routines can help foster change in one’s life. Those of us who are struggling to find the right balance tend to blame it on the times we feel ‘lazy’. Well, think again. According to the video, “Turns out you fell victim to a lie: the fact that you have such a hard time changing or reaching your goals isn’t due to you being lazy or weak. All your actions and behaviours are like paths in your brain. Science has made amazing discoveries about these patterns and how you can influence them.”
The video further goes on to explain how routines are a sequence of events which are deliberately carried out the same way due to repeated success. Habits, on the other hand are routines that are done automatically without thought, and also triggers a sense of reward.
However, we all try to change out habits we don’t like. But, instead than trying to change your habits, make small changes in your routine which will evidently create better habits in the long run. “Habits are executed by an impulsive toddler. It responds to your immediate desires, based on what is around you. For the toddler, the future doesn’t exist and it hates hard work. So when it notices a trigger, it steers you to take this easy road inside your brain that leads to a familiar rewarding result. Rewarding feelings associated with an action demand to be repeated and so a bad habit is born. While the toddler sounds like a built-in sabotage mechanism, it is as important as the wise planner and actually, they work together most of the time!”
Don’t try to immediately change your routine and habits. For example, when you decide to exercise, it starts as a deliberate routine. What to do, where to do it, and how to reward oneself for doing it. After those parameters are set, this routine will become a habit. However, take it slow and make it reachable. If your parameters are too high, working out will remain a routine. The best way is to try and set small, attainable goals at the start in order to reward oneself with success. “If you want to make change easier, the best way may not be to force it with willpower but to convince your brain that it’s not that big of a deal. By creating new routines and then turning them into habits. You want your wise planner to construct that first trail and then use your toddler to help initiate the action effortlessly.”
Watch the video to learn more on how you can change your daily routines to obtain better and sustainable habits.