Atomic Habits redux

I’m back in my studio and thinking about last year and the year to come.

For 2020 and 2021, I went “all in” on the Atomic Habits approach to changing my life. I did lots of little things (instead of any big thing), and I focused on becoming the person I wanted to become—who did the things I wanted to do.

In comparison, I did not: exercise willpower, force myself to the gym at 5 a.m., or feel deprived in any way.

Instead, I just had a series of small habits that added up.

Let me tell you: it works.

My dinky little $50 savings account has more than 125 times that amount, just by squirreling away $5 here, $10 there.

I weigh less than I did last year.

I wrote 530,000 words+ last year.

And more …

But I did it all with focusing on the tiniest habit. I just needed to check in at the gym 3 times a week. (Once I was there, I might as well work out, but the hard part is getting there, not doing the workout.) I got on the savings app and transferred funds every morning—took less than a minute. Daily, I just needed to write today’s words. Not the whole book. Just today’s word count. (And I even gave myself more breaks than usual.)

So, where do I go from here?

Well, I think more of the same. I think I can also push my boundaries a little bit and think a little differently about books and publishing. Try new ways of doing things. Actually implement some of the good ideas I’ve read about in craft books.

What about you?