This applies not only to the things you have to do, but also to the things you think you want to do. Maybe you think you should learn Spanish, but you haven’t done anything to learn Spanish. Admitting that you’re not really committed enough to the idea to do the work of learning Spanish can help close that loop. Letting go of that feeling that you should learn Spanish might be what frees your mind enough to decide to paddleboard on a whim. The thing is, the new year is not just a time to start something new. It is a time to leave behind the things from that past that no longer serve you.
In many ways, this is the antidote to the popular slogan “Just do it.” Do it It implies that you should not think about it, instead deciding what you really want or should do. Maybe spend some time remembering why you wanted to do it in the first place, and if those reasons no longer resonate with you, simply No do it.
If you like this idea, I recommend getting Allen’s book. It goes into much more detail about this idea and offers some practical advice on how to let go. You can still keep track of those things, in case you decide, years from now, when you’re paddling the Sea of Cortez, that you now really want to learn Spanish and are willing to do the work.
Remember to live
I confess my enthusiasm for get things done has decreased over the years. Not because the system doesn’t work, but because I have found that my life has improved dramatically by doing less, not more. It’s not that I’ve stopped doing things. It’s just that I discovered that many of the things I felt like I should do weren’t really my idea; They were ideas that I had internalized from other places. I didn’t really want to do it, so I didn’t do it, and then I felt guilty about it.
While everything I’ve written above is still good advice for starting a healthy habit and maintaining it, it’s worth spending some time and making sure you know why you want to do what you’re doing. I have been rereading Bertrand Russell Praise of idlenessand this phrase caught my attention: “Modern man thinks that everything must be done for something else, and never for himself.”
In the case of habits, I think it’s worth considering whether you want to start a habit because you love whatever the habit is or because you think you should do it because it will make you happier, healthier, or more successful. Doing things because you truly love them for their own sake is much more likely to lead to success.
do the work
As one of my writing teachers used to say, to be a writer you have to sit in a chair and really write. To be a yogi you have to do yoga. To run, you have to run. There is no easy way around it. You have to put on your adult pants and do the job.
However, on the other hand, as Clear points out at the beginning Atomic habitsThe way to change who you are is to change what you do. “Every time you write a page, you are a writer. Every time you practice the violin, you are a musician. Every time you start a workout, you are an athlete.” Every time you do the work, you become the future self you want to be.