What Are the Most Important Habits?
These five keystone habits can change your life.
I recently read the book, The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg. It’s a fantastic read that can help you to understand how habits are developed and how to change them. All of our daily habits are important, but this book got me thinking, which habits can have the most positive impact on our lives?
Duhigg writes about the concept of keystone habits, which are “small habits or changes that people introduce into their routines that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of their lives.” The most important habits to develop are keystone habits. I did some thinking on the keystone habits we could develop that could potentially change our lives. Read on to learn about the five most important keystone habits.
Reading
Imagine if you spent 20 minutes every morning or night reading non-fiction books. You would learn something new every day. You could apply that knowledge to your life and go further in your career, relationships, and personal projects.
This is a habit that affects all other areas of your life because it influences how you think, and eventually how you behave. I truly believe that reading is one of the best ways to invest in yourself.
Meditation
According to this article by Healthline, meditation reduces stress, controls anxiety, promotes emotional health, enhances self-awareness, lengthens attention span, and improves numerous health-related conditions.
There are many ways to meditate, but the goal of meditation is to be an observer of your thoughts and feelings. With this awareness, you can be more mindful of your thinking, which results in being more mindful of your actions. This can have a huge impact on how you live your life.
Using a planner or bullet journal
This is a habit that I practice religiously. I’m not sure how anyone can function without a planner. Writing down my to-do lists, appointments, and schedule helps me to organize my life. It also helps me to do what I say I’m going to do.
When you write something down, you are more likely to stick to it, rather than canceling on yourself. Imagine if you planned out your goals, scheduled them into your planner, and followed through with your schedule. Most people’s lives would be completely changed with just a little bit of planning ahead of time.
Exercise
We all know the benefits of exercise, it’s just so hard to stick to it (at least for me). Your health is something that impacts every area of your life. It is so foundational. The daily habit of exercise impacts not only how you feel today, but also your well-being and longevity in the long term.
Cooking
This is a habit that impacts your health and your bank account. Most restaurants cook with the cheapest ingredients possible in order to maximize their profits. That means when you eat out, you are usually consuming a lot of unhealthy oils, low-quality meat, and lots of salt and sugar.
I once did an experiment where I only cooked at home for a month, (no restaurants or take out), and I lost 4 pounds from that alone. I also saved hundreds of dollars. Going out to dinner even a few times a month really adds up.
Final Thoughts
My hunch is that if you take even one of these habits and commit to it, you would see huge results in a short amount of time. I am currently working on developing the habit of exercise. I notice that on the days I exercise, my mind and body feel good, and I end up producing my best work. Exercise impacts more than just how my body looks- it impacts my mind, my mood, and how I feel.
Don’t try to develop all of these at the same, just pick one and stick to it. Like throwing a huge stone into a pond, the keystone habit that you choose will create a ripple effect that could completely change how you live your life.
