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If you seek to transform your life, you may have heard that the first step in doing so is to develop positive habits. This is truly easier said than done. You may not have the willpower or motivation to get on the right track. However, there is a simple way to get on track: incorporate a Keystone habit into your daily routine.
What Are Keystone Habits?
Keystone Habits are small changes that when implemented, can cause a ripple effect in other aspects of one’s life. They are actions that you do every day without fail. This term was introduced by Charles Duhigg in his book, “The Power of Habit“. The way he explains it is that these habits “create chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.”
Once you have identified your keystone habits, it is important to make them as easy as possible to do. This means that you should make them as automatic as possible.
The Power of Keystone Habits
What can you do to make them easier to do? Take a look at it this way, if you are struggling with your health and want to develop healthy habits, you may want to do everything, go to the gym, eat healthily, get better sleep, and drink more water. But then you become overwhelmed and end up doing nothing because it all seems too difficult to do. However, if you just focus on one thing, it may seem more manageable and you will be more inclined to do the thing you set out to do.
For example, instead of trying to do all the things, focus on one thing. Maybe you set out to go to the gym 3 times a week. The days you go to the gym, you think, “Hey, I already did all this work, might as well have a healthy dinner”. And because you went to the gym, you also sleep earlier. You don’t even set out to eat healthily, you are simply doing it as a byproduct of your going to the gym. This also trickles down into other aspects of your life, for example, you have more energy and because of this newfound energy, you pick up a project that you had long abandoned. Lastly, you realize that going to the gym 3 times a week is not even enough anymore, so you decide to go 5 times a week instead.
The more you focus on this one habit and make sure to do it every single day, it will unintentionally carry over to other aspects of your life. I know, I know, this seems like a dream right? But it is possible to make these positive changes by focusing on one thing at a time and sticking to it!
The Best Keystone Habits
Choosing the best Keystone Habit to begin incorporating is a personal choice but here are some ideas as to which ones can really enhance your life and productivity.
- Walking or exercising regularly. If you are a person that does not exercise regularly, try simply walking or starting off with some light exercise but the key is to be consistent! If you set out to walk every day, make sure it is every day. If the weather doesn’t allow for it. Do a few laps in your hallway or try a 30-minute exercise session every day. After you do this enough, you will find yourself wanting to walk for longer periods of time or to move on to some higher-intensity workouts.
- Track your expenses. If you are someone who is possibly struggling financially or someone who has developed some not-so-great money habits such as overspending or racking up debt, something as simple as tracking how much you spend can really make an impact on your overall spending impulses. Knowing how much is being spent opens you up to reflect on your relationship with money and will allow you to work on better strategies toward saving and optimizing that hard-earned cash.
- Make your bed every morning. (This may seem like a cliché with how many times you see this in self-help books but it certainly makes a difference). In my point of view, life is a set of tasks and challenges to overcome every day. Doing your bed in the morning is your first small victory, embrace it and get in the right set of mind. Also, when you come home in the evening, you will come home to a cozy inviting bed.
- Dress to a standard even when at home. If you are someone that works from home, you are most likely no stranger to the day pajama look. However, you can have outfits that will keep you comfortable, confident, and presentable at the same time. Dressing for yourself can seem unimportant but doing so is so important for your own productivity and self-love.
- Stay in touch with your inner circle. Personal relationships are like plants that need to be watered with care, involvement, and attention. Reach out to your friends regularly, speak with your family members often, and be attentive to what your partner has to say. Having those interactions works wonders for your mental health.
- Plan out your day. You may find yourself constantly spending time on things that you feel you shouldn’t be spending time and later feel guilty. There are countless benefits to begin planning out your day. You can read more about those benefits in this blog post. One of those benefits is prioritizing your tasks and achieving more. Setting this as a Keystone habit will truly make an impact on all the other aspects of your life.
- Declutter your spaces often. It’s so easy to just drop your clean laundry on a chair and throw your junk mail on your dining room table but it easily stacks up and creates more stress and work for you to do in the long run. Fight this urge and keep your spaces tidy or at least, make sure you clear those surfaces often. This also applies to your car. Those takeout wrappers certainly pile up, make sure to
Favorite Amazon Finds to Start Positive Habits
- This Erin Condren Habit Tracking Checklist Notebook is a great way to start tracking the habit you want to focus on. I don’t know about you but when I cross something off my list, I feel great satisfaction and motivation to keep going.
- If your focus is time management, this Cube Timer can help you implement power hours to avoid wasting time and focusing on one thing.
- My favorite way to start focusing on one thing is to use a guided journal or planner to help me focus on that one thing that I want to achieve. This A5 Daily Focus Guided Journal from Erin Condren helps you get in a positive mindset and set intentions for your day.
- Of course, “The Power of Habit” is the book that inspired this post and one that I have re-read multiple times because it not only helped me improve my habits but also entertained and inspired me.
- “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is also a great read if you want to improve your habits.
- We all make excuses to not go to the gym but you can take the gym home with this Yoga Kit.
Start implementing small but effective changes in your life.
You can upgrade your life with a simple shift. Just start with one positive keystone habit and practice it for 30 days. This will start a chain reaction of positive changes that will soon become a routine.
There are many benefits to implementing positive keystone habits into your life. Not only will you see an immediate improvement in your quality of life, but you will also be setting yourself up for long-term success.
So what are you waiting for? Start today and see the difference that small, but effective changes can make in your life!
