Pen, Paper, and a Checkbox: Developing Yourself is Surprisingly Simple
The older I grow, the more I find the wisdom in the tried, true, and simple. In this day of electronic calendars, tracking apps, and even a bracelet that electrocutes you if you practice a bad habit, it’s refreshing to pull out the enduring tools of the most productive over centuries: pen, paper, and checkbox.
In my mind, the pen, the paper, and the checkbox are the Holy Trinity of developing habits that contribute to who you want to be. So, let’s start there: who do you want to be?
I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating: we need to start with the who and the how.
Who do we want to be? How we get there? Once we decide who it is we want to be, we can map out for ourselves how we get there. For example, if I want to be a better parent, I could read a book or schedule 1 on 1 time with my kids. If I want to be more productive at work, I can carry a planner or turn off my email notifications. If I want to be a more engaged spouse, I can schedule a date night once per week.
The habits we choose to pursue should help us become the person we want.
With that in mind, choose no more than 3 or 4 simple habits you would like to pursue. What do I mean by simple? If reading more aligns with your values, set a goal to read one sentence a day of a book you have chosen. If more productive writing aligns with your values, set a goal to write one sentence per day. If you want to exercise more, set a goal to do one set of reps at the gym.
See how simple those are? When we set goals that are this simple, we increase the odds of accomplishing them and thus increase our productivity. There is something that happens in our subconscious when we sit down to write one sentence, for example. We go to all the trouble to write that first sentence that we continue to write the second, third, and fourth sentence without even thinking about it. The same with the gym: who is going to go to the trouble of driving to the gym to do one set of curls?
(Even as I write this, I am smiling. I have set a goal to write one sentence per day. That was 12 sentences ago.)
Once you have identified your 3 or 4 simple habits that align with your values, it’s time to write them down. I use a simple checkbox where I can list the habit and check off each day I complete. It does not have to be any more complicated than that. In fact, I would encourage you to not make it any more complicated.
In his incredible book Atomic Habits, James Clear states 4 Laws for Behavior Change. One of those Laws is: Make It Easy. He points out that new habits should take less than 2 minutes to complete. Eliminate the friction that makes accomplishing what you set out to do difficult. Complicated checklist = complicated habits. Simple is effective.
Place your checklist where you will see it multiple times throughout the day. This could be on your computer screen, bathroom mirror, or in a planner. This serves two purposes: 1) You’ll be visually reminded of what you have set out to accomplish and 2) You’ll be visually reminded of the progress you are making.
I love having the 80/20 rule in my life. If I can look backwards at my week and see the food I ate over the week was at least 80% healthy, I feel good about my progress. If I got my target amount of sleep 5 or 6 nights throughout the week, I am happy with that.
Similarly, if you can look over the simple habits you have put in place to help you reach your goals and live your values, and you are accomplishing them at least 80% of the time, I consider that a success.
Even if you do only write one sentence or do one curl at the gym, you are making progress. Even slight progress over time compounds into something big. And, as you can see, the process of developing yourself is surprisingly simple.
All it takes are three weapons: a pen, a paper, and a checkbox.
