📚 Read with Me #2: Better than Before

A book that I enjoyed recently

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a few lessons that I learnt from the first half of Gretchen Rubin’s Better than Before. Here are a few more:

Main points with my thoughts in Italics:

1. Spend time getting your foundation habits right first. Foundation habits are habits that help us sleep, move, eat/ drink right or unclutter.
   My whole life starts breaking down once I stop working out. So when I fall off my habit train, I start first with getting my back into my workout routine. Once this is done, everything else become easier (not easy, but easier).
   

2. Know what your “broken windows” are and try to keep them under control. “The broken window theory of crime prevention was introduced in the 1980s by social scientists who observed that when community tolerates disorder and petty crime, such as breaking of windows, graffiti, turnstile jumping or drinking in public, people are more likely to commit serious crimes. As a law enforcement theory, it’s controversial; but whether or not it’s true on a community-wide level, it’s true on a personal level".”
   
   For me, being in a messy space is a broken ass window. Lying around all day and not showering - broken window AF.

3. Scheduling a specific, regular time for an activity to recur is a very powerful strategy for habit formation. When scheduling a habit, it helps to tie it to an existing habit such as “after breakfast” or “when my alarm goes off.” Apparently, this works better than using a time (e.g I’ll work out at 8am) because we often lose track of time.
   
   I really like this one. I was trying to get into the habit of walking every day. I found that forcing myself to say “I’ll take a walk every day after dinner” was much easier to stick to that “I’ll walk at 8pm.” Whilst I still haven’t conquered my walk every day habit, I definitely had my longest run when I anchored it around a pre-existing habit.
   

4. The best time to start a new habit is NOW. Not tomorrow, not on your birthday, not on Monday … but now
   I used this strategy when I was writing this very newsletter. On my to do list, I had two things. Write a newsletter; Go swimming. I’d put both off till 1pm by using all sorts of excuses. “It’s 10:35 right now and it doesn’t make sense to start a new activity mid: way through the hour.” “O wow, I really need to check on Twitter to see what’s going on with the Nigerian presidential race”. “My mum said she’d visit today and it won’t make sense for me to start writing until she visits because it’ll break my flow” LOL. I had to remind myself that the best time to start your new habit is NOW.
   

5. For many people, starting small is the best way to get started. This can manifest in lots of different ways
   If you’re trying to get your exercise habit started, maybe Cross Fit (aka the most stressful shit in the world) isn’t where you should start.
   If you’re trying to get started on your exercise habit, focus first on getting your exercise clothes on.
   If you’re trying to get some work done, focus first on getting your laptop to your desk.
   I also used this one the day I wrote this newsletter. When I swim, I tend to swim 50 laps of a 250m pool. I’m really proud of myself for this because when I first got started, I could only do 20. However, having 50 laps as my goal often times makes me put off my swimming habit. So today I said you know what, just focus on putting your swimming costume on and getting to the pool. Everything after that is extra winning,
   

6. New beginnings are a special time to create new habits so use them wisely.
   I think we’ve all felt this. Remember when that break up led you to a new workout habit? I used a move to California to kick an unhealthy yet wonderfully joyful marijuana habit 😩. I’ve now stuck with it for well over 6 months which is a massive source of pride for me. I often try to use travelling to new places as a good way to build momentum for starting a new habit.
   
   

7. Sometimes you can’t moderate a habit. You simply need to abstain.
   I started a nasty daily drinking habit during the pandemic. As per, it’s 5 pm somewhere, a lil glass of champagne won’t hurt. I tried to moderate but it just didn’t work so I went off alcohol completely for 3 months. After 3 months, I slipped back into drinking on weekends only and that’s worked well for me. In fact, most weekend, I end up not wanting a drink anyway. I’m actually more or less tea-total now.
   

8. Make it easy to do the right thing.
   I only work out with trainers who will work out with me on zoom. Having to face Lagos traffic to go to the gym is enough to make me fall off. Similarly, when I travel, it’s so much easier to fall out of routine when I tie my workouts to being at the gym. Zoom workouts make it very difficult for me
   

9. Make it hard to do the wrong thing
   “There are six ways to make any activity less convenient

   • Increase the amount of physical or mental energy required (leave the cell phone in another room)

   • Hide any cues (put the snacks on a high shelf)

   • Delay it (read email only after 11am)

   • Engage in an incompatible activity (to avoid snacking, write a newsletter 😎)

   • Raise the cost

   • Block it altogether (don’t buy a TV)”

There are many, many more lessons in the book and I picked a few just to get your gingered. Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and picking it up from time to time is usually a great reminder for me to get back on the habit parade.

With love,

Yasbo.