Habits – Breaking or Making

Wouldn’t it be great if building the habits you wanted was as easy as brushing your teeth? I can’t imagine going to bed without doing it, and in fact I’d get out of bed and do it if I forgot. Because, yuck. But other things I’d like to do just sail past, and before I know it, the day is over…and it’s time to brush my teeth.*

I’m reading The Indie Book Marketing Crash Course and the week 1 assignment is to figure out a habit you’d like to instill, and figure out the trigger for that habit. (Grab the book if you want to learn more, it’s currently free.) My habit of choice is a 15-minute timed writing sprint to prime the ‘ol pump. I was pleased when I thought of the habit. It’s small enough to not psych me out but important enough to spark useful productivity. But I found that deciding on the habit wasn’t enough. I had to link it to something else.

I decided “first thing when I sit down at the computer.” That seemed to be the key to making it work. Because even if I’m dying to check my email or Facebook, I can do the fifteen minutes first. Typically it turns into more, too, which is exactly what I want.

*I do brush my teeth more than once a day 🙂