If I have to summarize all productivity in one word. I’d say PRODUCTIVITY = HABITS.
In fact, I’d go further by saying LIFE = HABITS.
Most of the time we spend on this planet is going to be taken up by the habits we execute. Since this will be the most consistent use of our time, the results of our actions coming by habit will dominate how our lives look like.
Now, I’d like to talk about “Habit triggers”. I use these to build new habits.
For example:
1. Trigger: Keeping a book by the bedside next to the lamp.
Habit made easy: Reading for a while before going to sleep.
2. Trigger: Keeping the journal on top of the laptop before going to sleep.
Habit made easy: Morning writing before starting to work.
3. Trigger: Keep the toothbrush holder on the left side of the washroom instead of the right side.
Habit made easy: Brushing with the left hand (which is my non-dominant hand)
4. Trigger: Keeping filled water bottles all around the room – next to the bed, working table, eating table, on the floor at multiple places
Habit made easy: Drinking more water whenever a chance
5. Trigger: Buying only healthy food and not keeping unhealthy snacks at home
Habit made easy: Eating healthy. This can also be treated as an anti-trigger to reduce a bad habit due to a lack of easy availability.
These are simple triggers I use. To plan yours, just think about the habits you’re trying to develop and triggers or cues that will make it easy for you to execute them.
By definition, a cue can be called a trigger if it also specifies (intrinsically or extrinsically) the location and time for the habit to be executed.
But we’re not going to that level of habit science right now. For now, our purpose is to find these triggers or cues that’ll work for us, and hence we can use those terms interchangeably.
Let’s build new habits!