Make a Habit not goals

A few days back Ankur Warikoo an Entrepreneur upload a video on LinkedIn about what to do in your 20's?. One key thing he mentioned about making habit not goals, this single statement kicked me a lot.

Asking a Question?

So a few months back after quitting my job I asked myself a question, How to achieve consistency?. See the question is simple, if you have an answer otherwise it won’t, it simply won’t. It can even annoy you if you think of the answer, especially to the people like me, who keeps on changing their mind on different things, people like me who have a fickle mind, who can’t stay on one thing for a longer period and to be honest I can see the consequences of this nasty habit of my fickle mind in my professional domain.

Shifting to new things after some period of time or getting bored with the monotonous thing is so common in me this thought process sometimes have consequences in my professional and personal life.

I am sure most of the people are getting bored from their job because its monotonous work or even unexciting work which they compellingly doing for the sake of that monthly paycheck.

I start figuring out the answer, understanding my mind Psychology, how does my mind work, What are the PROS & CONS of my mind, according to me. The problem was there and I want to solve it, I soo want to find a solution, so I start making pros vs cons list.

Pros Vs Cons

To understand more about you and your mind, It is good to have a third perspective so I talked to my best friend about me and my bad and good habits and so on. It was an honest call, my friend told me one thing about me which I was told a lot but I never paid much attention to it.

She told me that I always excited to start new things, so energised and so willing to work even 14 hours a day but eventually I never reach the destination, I never dare to finish the task which I’ve started with so much enthusiasm.

Hm, Good enough!!!

I got the very first CON of my list(PROS vs CONS) but the problem still exists and the very first step I luckily did it to comprehend the problem I’ve. So I immediately told her that I will work on this asap.

The story is not over yet, she then responded that Now I am excited about solving this problem within me, I will eventually after few weeks whether this problem is solved or not I will stop working on it, and I will definitely move on to some other issue to address. She was right, absolutely right. That is where the whole problem stays and you know what, Consistency is an answer to this problem. Allow me to explain, Why?

I asked her to suggests me a solution. Then a smart woman comes with a game plan, Yes she played a game with me. The game was to pick any task I so want to do, pick any to-do task which I was procrastinating for the past few months and start doing it.

What?

Seriously……

I was like, Is this is really a suggestion?.

She replied, Wait a minute, there are certain and simple rules of the game, this time.

I asked, what rules?

She replied… — You have next 3/4 weeks to complete the task.

I replied with an OKAY!!!

She said… — You have only 1/2 hours every day to work on this task.

I replied….Hmm, Interesting!!!

Then she said…. — You have to finish the task anyhow and you have to work on a daily basis, every day, no leave not even on Sunday and you have to work a maximum of 2 hours each day, you can’t exceed the hours/day neither you can decrease them. Once the task started I have to cease only after 2 hours.

I replied ….- What the F!!!!!

See, the point is I have soo many questions, what if I love to work more than 2 hours or what if I am not much active and can’t work for 2 hours?

My doubts were legitimate but she replied that Rules are Rules. So, My male chauvinistic ego compels me to take the challenge. I want to learn Designing and Figma tool, so I took 30 days of the design challenge.

I knew nothing about Figma when I’ve started so my first week went really well, I was excited and energised like I used to but this time I took care of rules also and spent only 2 hours learning about Figma and designing one single interface or illustration or UI design on daily basis.

The First 2 weeks went well, I’ve enjoyed the process, but the problem begins during the 3rd week, my mind itching a lot, during the third week I often got out of ideas of what to design, I started feeling this problem of monotonous work, I was like, I don't want to design a single mobile application every time but Rules are Rules, so I somehow took the inspiration from the internet, watch some YouTube videos about designing and start doing work.

The third week was the real pain in the ass, it took really something out of me, third week taught me something that our mind is soo powerful and so easy to trick😁😁, even though I don’t want to work but one single YouTube video or single story on Dribbbe inspires my to open the Figma and start designing something new.

Finally, the third week was over and suddenly my friend called me and She told me -

Dude…., Your 21 days are over so stop working on this task you have accomplished the challenge, your problem of switching to a new task now and then is over now

I replied — What, Why, How,

I said — listen still 10 more days, almost a week is left and Rules are Rules😁✌️

She replied — But your problem is over, you want to learn Figma you have ended up learning Figma so why purse, you can stop!!

I said… — Yes I can but after the 30th day I will stop, let me complete the 30 days.

And our conversation is over, so my 30 days of the design challenge.

I am sure you are expecting a big ending or a little cinematic ending, no nothing happened on the 30th day.

Moral of the Story

The story was simple, with nothing deep value to extract or learn out of it, right?

Nah!!!, You are completely wrong my friend, those 30 days can probably the life-changing moment of my life.

My friend called me after the 30th day and she asked me How I am feeling, Do, I want to stop, Do I got irritated or frustrated?.

I said I am not sure, I don’t know to be honest, but one thing for sure that no matter what day tomorrow is, I will open my laptop and I will design something, even day after tomorrow, even day after day after tomorrow I don’t know why but I will do it. I don’t need a break from it now.

She replied — See, Those 30 days were exactly like your life and working for 2 hours on your task is your job. Each day you have to wake up and work for 2 fixed hours, each day, you have no excuses, even though after ups and down, whether you like it or not, someday you will enjoy your work someday you won’t, someday you love your job someday you will hate your job but what matters the most is consistency, putting small effort every day leads to larger accomplishment one day.

I replied — WOW!!!, really, I think I am understanding it.

Withing those 3/4 weeks just spending one or two hours a day I have learnt so soo much, I have instilled a habit, I have created a habit, in just 3/4 weeks I have installed a process which definitely and certainly perpetuates my whole life probably.

This is exactly, what Ankur Warikoo was explaining, the power of consistency, the power of staying consistent, the power of putting small effort only but putting it every day, the power of doing small but doing it every day, the power of making habits, not goals.

Ankur told that don’t just make goals, make a habit, don't tell yourself that I will accomplish 10 tasks at the end of this year instead make a promise to yourself that every day I will work on 3 to 4 or even those 10 tasks for at least one hour, then see where you were at the end of the year.

In this way you will achieve so much without actually putting a lot of efforts every day, you achieve without telling your mind that you were behind something which you have to achieve, you just have to wake up every day and invest one or 2 hours to that task and you are good for the day, try it out people, trust me it will work.

That’s It for today, Until, next time. Have a good day, People