One of the most important things that follow me in life in everything that I do is the adjustment. I try to take every single thing that I do, and I try to improve either, my process of doing it or the way that I can potentially improve it.
It can be not very clear so let me give you an example.
Sleep is something that all of us are forced into doing. There is no getting around it. All of us are required to sleep at least 8 hours per day in order to function.
By the way, sleeping less than 8 hours continuously has been one of my tests and results showed, lower concentration, lower motivation and less creativity.
So as an adjustment, you would like to run a test or in other words, a hypothesis.
Wake up early or stay up late
You would like to know whether you are an early riser or you feel better during the night. So you decided that it would be a great idea to run an experiment where you take 2 weeks and keep everything constant in those 2 weeks. The only thing you would change is when you go to bed and at what time you wake up.
Of course, in real life, keeping all the other variable is hard, but trying to keep it similar is good enough for most of the tests.
After 4 weeks you finally finish, and you have a choice to make, what worked better for you? What was the result and what you choose to do now that you have tested both?
It might seem crazy to spend 2 weeks on each test, 4 weeks in total. But consider how often you sleep? Every day? 365 times per year? I think spending time testing and checking with your body what works for you is probably one of the most important things that you can do.
Identifying the routines
This works for everything, starting from sleeping and ending at what clothes make you feel good or what type of food gives you energy.
Our brain tends to be on autopilot for at least 50% of our daily life. Our consciousness usually is more of a side player when it comes to living our life. This means that you live in the grind of routines and habits that happen automatically. You realise that this is what is happening and trying to challenge it is one of the best things you can do.
There is a very easy way to jumpstart your experience in this. Get a diary or a journal and carry it with you everywhere. Every time you do anything, from brushing your teeth, showering, doing morning exercise and eating breakfast, record everything. Once you have done that for 2 or 3 days, you will have a gold mine of your habits patterns and behaviour that you can start to explore.
You can first look at them individually and see for yourself first of all the answers to these questions. Is it a necessary habit? Does it benefit me? Does it eventually lead me to my life long goal?
It is essential to ask yourself about every single small thing. Brushing teeth? The answers to those questions would be: Yes. Yes. Yes, because I am more likeable to others if I have white, clean teeth which in turn can lead to better social interactions and better opportunities.
Yes, some of the answers can seem silly, but really think about the things that are going on in your life critically, you would be surprised to find an extreme number of negative things that you were either too scared to get rid of, or you never even notice that you do something negative, every single day.
Adjusting and Testing
This is where it gets interesting. After you deleted and got rid of all of the negative habits you are either left with a lot of free time(this what happens if you don’t lie to yourself about your habits) or left with only your daily job.
Now the world is your oyster. You can slowly, but surely start adding new habits and routines that you potentially always wanted to do or that you know that are really good for you and creating a new habit chain that will lead you to success eventually.
Did you use to watch Netflix during this time for 2 hours straight? Do exercise or start reading a book. Maybe instead of watching Netflix, getting yourself a cup of herbal tea and listening to an audiobook can be an even better way to relax.
Did you use to go out with your friends to a bar? Invite them to play some board game or join a club that is aligned with your hobbies.
This is the period when you have all the possibility in the world and even a 45-year-old if given this opportunity can change their life completely by simply adjusting their schedules and habits.
Don’t try to go big straight away. Don't try to be a hero on the first day. Don’t try to climb the Mt. Everest straight away. Take small steps that eventually will let you climb. Learn the ropes before jumping into the boat.
Start now. Get perfect later.
Klim Y
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