The Six Fundamentals of Habit Building — Part 3 of 6
“Holding back when we have “more in the tank” may seem counterintuitive. But it is vital in achieving breakthrough results.” — Greg McKeown
My wife and I recently had our fourth child.
To most that probably sounds like a lot. And that’s because it is.
I love comedian Jim Giffigan’s bit “People ask me what it’s like to have 5 kids and I say “Imagine you’re drowning and someone hands you a baby””.
Before I go on, I need to walk you through what my morning routine used to look like 10 months ago…
4:50 AM — wake up and say a quick, silent prayer of gratitude.
4:55 AM — Quietly sneak out of the room and grab my running clothes and gear I laid out the night before. This is a golden rule of habit building we call Action Catalyst
4:58 AM — Drink 12–16 oz of water and grab my prefilled waterbottle for the road
5:00 AM — Sync up with my running buddy for a morning trail run of 4–6 miles
6:00 AM — Take off my shoes and spend 5–10 minutes standing on the lawn enjoying the quiet morning and connecting body, earth and spirit—call that my poor attempt at meditation
6:10 AM — Do 20 minutes of stretching and strength exercises while I listen to a daily mentor audio or podcast
6:30 AM — Write a page in my journal
6:45 AM — Practice sketching or write a draft of an article/blog post
7:00 AM — Write a post-it love note to my wife and stick it on the fridge
7:05 AM — Make a healthy breakfast for the kids and get them ready for school
8:00 AM — Clean up breakfast and spend a moment with my toddler while my wife goes to pilates
9:00 AM — Get ready for work
Okay, know that you’re bored to tears, let me explain why I’m telling you all that.
Life isn’t always the same, schedules change as your commitments change. There are times and seasons.
I loved my morning routine, then we had baby number four…
And now my morning routine looks completely different.
Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with all the details.
You’re welcome.
But the fact is, I don’t get nearly as much sleep anymore so I just can’t make it all work in the mornings.
I’ve had to cut back big time to support the fam where needed.
But just because my routine is thrown off doesn’t mean I’ve given up on my goals. Instead, I’ve modified my routine to make room for the new little guy and still make consistent progress.
Too many times when the demands of our life change, we simply give up on what we’ve been doing because we can’t do it just they way we want. But when it comes to progress, the most important thing of all is consistency not quantity.
My absolute favorite habit building tool for implementing this comes from best-selling author Greg McKeown in his book Effortless.
He calls them Upper and Lower Limits.
The idea is to take whatever goal you’re working on and apply an upper and lower limit to the daily efforts you’re taking to achieve that goal.
For example; I used to run 4–6 miles every morning but rather than giving up on my fitness entirely, I have a 1 mile lower limit for running. And if I can’t get out for a run, I have a lower limit of 15 minutes of strength training.
Having a plan to adapt your routine as needed but still remain consistent is a game-changer. It gives you the flexibility to stay consistent and call every step forward a win even if it’s not “ideal”. As they say, “the best exercise is the one you actually do”. This is the power of the Lower Limit.
So why set an Upper Limit, you ask?
There is no more sinister enemy to the achievement of your goals than inconsistency.
One of the major reasons 98% of people don’t stick with their New Year’s resolutions is because of burnout—we go way too hard at the beginning of a goal when we’re all pumped up, and then we quickly burn out.
When running a marathon, one of the hardest things for me is not running too fast in the first few miles. At the beginning I’m all excited and feeling energized for the race. My heart’s pumping and I’m at full strength. But if I do the first 5–10 miles too quickly, It becomes extremely difficult to maintain a good pace and finish strong. And on one occasion I didn’t finish at all.
The same goes for your goals…it’s a marathon not a sprint.
One of the best things you can do to increase your chances of achieving your goals is to set an upper and lower limit for your daily actions. Just know, there is no perfect number. Just set it up and get started. If after a week or two you want to ajust them, then do. You’re the boss.
In the next post I’ll share a simple method to set yourself up for success with a gift to your future self. We call it the Action Catalyst.
It’s time to start living your best life!
P.S. Like this idea? Check out our Magic Monday Newsletter for Habit Tips, Exciting Ideas and Reading Recommendations — Launch your week with 2 minutes of inspiration.
