I have completed the week of learning to develop new behaviors that are the basis of BJ Fogg’s 3 Tiny Habits project. Learning and unlearning behaviors is a current focus of mine. I once thought that change in behavior must come first by changing the initial thought. However, I have found in my own experiences that that is not necessarily true. This project has provided more evidence that I can choose to alter behaviors, which assists in the ability to alter my thought processes and to become more cognizant of these thought processes.
For instance, I noticed that my morning and afternoon habits were not difficult to maintain but my evening habit remained difficult to perform. There were various reasons for this; multiple distractions around the apartment e.g. internet and TV, not having the book with me after dinner if I was not home, and choosing to relax after work instead of furthering my mental stimulation. I had chosen the reading as my last habit of the day so I would be able to focus on it and read more if I wanted to. However, I believe my initial thought was incorrect now so I have decided to start a new week of habits and begin my day with reading. My hypothesis is that I will think about what I’ve read during my day and have more time to process and internalize what I have read instead of becoming distracted.
After this is done, I must find habits and ways to anchor them that encourage the same level of mental stimulation in the evening as I experience earlier in the day. By doing this, I can focus on game elements that could potentially sustain stable levels of mental stimulation even after a full day of work and constantly having to multitask and “be on my game.” A great portion of obstacles that stand in the way of a person’s goals appears to come from a lack of motivation however, by creating a series of habits, I think motivation can marry itself to habits that are positively reflected by the presence of progress.
