I tried to eat healthily. I failed.
I vowed to kill procrastination. I failed.
I forced myself to exercise every day. I failed.
I tried to build a writing habit. I failed.
Sound familiar?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably tried (and failed) to make a bunch of changes in your life at some point.
And while it’s great to have lofty goals, the truth is that trying to change too many things at once is often a recipe for disaster.
This realization came to me in the strangest manner.
I was sitting in my bedroom, surrounded by a sea of textbooks and half-empty coffee cups. My final exams were in two days, and I was overwhelmed.
I studied for weeks, but the content felt like a foreign language. I was sure I’d fail the exams.
But, suddenly, I heard a voice in my head say, “I can do this. I’m going to focus on one page at a time.”
And that’s when I had a breakthrough.
Instead of trying to memorize everything at once, I started breaking the syllabus down into small pieces. I focused on one concept at a time, and slowly but surely, the pieces began to fall into place.
By the time my exams rolled around, I felt confident and prepared. And I ended up getting a B instead of an imaginative F!
Since then, I’ve used the power of micro habits to achieve all kinds of goals — big and small. Whether it’s studying for an exam or training for a marathon, I know that success is only a series of small steps away.
And the compounding effect of these micro habits is truly amazing. Over time, they add up to create significant changes in your life.
Here, I share how these micro habits helped me create macro-changes — fitness, lifestyle, and productivity.
It was a hot summer day when I had to go grocery shopping after class.
I was tired, sweaty, and, most of all, hungry. I had meant to grab a quick bite before heading to the store, but I got caught up in my errands and hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
As I wandered through the store, my stomach started to growl.
Suddenly, every item in the store looked irresistible. I loaded my cart with chocolate bars, bags of chips, and other junk food that I wouldn’t have even considered if I weren’t so hungry.
By the time I reached the checkout line, my cart was overflooded with unhealthy snacks. As I paid for my purchases, I realized I had made a mistake.