Let's do something first.

Take your notebook and write your first and last name on a blank page.
Ready?

Now do the same thing with the other hand.
How does that feel?

I'm sure if you're not ambidextrous (writing equally with your left and right hand), you're laughing right now, looking at the second sloppy lettering. But it took you much more effort and time than the first one, which is smooth and beautiful.

This exercise illustrates perfectly the topic I want to talk about today.

Habit. When you have it, everything happens easily. When you don't have one, it takes a lot more effort and the result is not great. But here's the good news: you can develop the habits you want. The main thing is desire and a little patience! Now, let's elaborate…

A habit is a well-learned action in the repetition of which a person feels a constant, sometimes unconscious, need. It is noteworthy that the action is always carried out under certain conditions. For example: morning exercise — immediately after awakening; evening tea — immediately after dinner; cleaning the house — on Saturday. And so on.
As you have already guessed that the habit is not given from above, it arises after repeatedly repeating a particular action. At the moment when that action ceases to require volitional and cognitive efforts from you.

Some habits are acquired consciously when a person wants to acquire them. Others are introduced into life imperceptibly, when a person simply does what he or she likes regularly and at nearly the same time.
And then there are habits that begin to form in early childhood when children imitate their parents. So, sometimes it seems that we are born with a certain habit, although this is not true.

Habits are like a conductor in an orchestra. Thanks to them, most of the activities do not give us any trouble. Good habits “automate” useful things, and bad habits… you know. It gives the impression that we just follow the wave of our conductor's baton and everything happens by itself.

Simplified: it looks like habits control our brain, and our brain controls our body. So, they all work as one team. Or, to continue the musical metaphor, like a fantastic symphony orchestra!

When you first perform an action-brushing your teeth, washing your windows, doing push-ups off the floor, or playing the piano-you have to use the resource of your willpower. If you want to keep this action in your life forever, you can't skip this stage. You just have to live with it. Even though it seems excruciatingly difficult. The key at this point is to keep doing, even through “I don't want to.”

Do you know why?

Because after a certain number of repetitions, the miracle will come! You may not even notice how you will do this difficult action with the ease of a butterfly. You will no longer have to make the effort and “steal” resources from your will because you will do it automatically.

Unfortunately, people often underestimate the importance of small daily habits. It is thought that to succeed, you have to do something big and serious at once. But this is not the case. Even a small, almost imperceptible daily action is one hundred percent likely to lead to the fact that in 1–2 months you will see serious changes in your chosen field.

Here's an example of how microhabits work: if you go to the gym once, your figure won't change in any way; if you learn one word of English, you won't immediately be able to speak to a native speaker. It's the same with bad habits: eating one piece of cake will have no effect on your weight; smoking one cigarette won't do much damage to your lungs. The power only has a cumulative effect.

Even the smallest daily steps lead to big results after a while. If you have a little patience, very many household chores can be brought to such a degree of automatism that you simply stop thinking about it. Voilà! You feel like you're doing it all by yourself.

I'll tell you one last secret.

I have a favorite phrase — RIGHT AWAY. Furthermore, I want it to be your favorite phrase, too. That's how you get good habits that make 50% of your success at keeping things in order.

If you take the scissors out of the drawer, you have to put them back right away. If you drop a candy wrapper on the floor, you should pick it up right away. If you open a cupboard door, you should close it immediately. It's an axiom.
Promise me to accept it as the fact that there are 12 months in a year and 500 calories in a candy bar. I see you shaking your head as a sign of your promise. Great!

You might be so fascinated by the subject of habits that you want to learn more about it. I'll leave you with recommendations of my favorite books about habits, in which you'll find lots of thoughts, research, and practical advice:
“Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”


Book by James Clear
James Clear explains how the "math" of small changes works and offers a working algorithm for creating an environment in which useful habits will form easily without much effort.
“The Power of Habit”


Book by Charles Duhigg
The author of the book believes that habits can be changed if you understand the mechanism by which they work. So you can change your job, improve your health, and change your life for the better.

1. Let's start with analysis. Over the next 3–5 days, observe yourself carefully. What habits get in the way of order? And which ones, on the contrary, help? What habits are lacking to make and keep your home clean and orderly?
2. Write down in a notebook all your observations. Divide the page into three parts and sign the columns: “habits that help,” “habits that hinder,” and “habits that are missing.” Record in this table the results of your observations.

An important point. After a while, you'll be able to help your family program the habits they want, too. But for now, let's start with you.

A little later, when you practice programming habits, this chart will come in hand. It will tell you which habits you need to adopt next. And which ones you should give up.

Please do the task, even if it seems difficult. It is important, and it is a step towards the next lesson. Do not skip assignments. And don't change their order. This is the only way you can implement change in your life.

That's all for today,

Your Clea.