Chain of habits

Warren Buffet said “Chains of habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”

Habits are our gravity: we don’t notice them because they operate from our unconscious. We act out our habits without even noticing, they are that familiar and easy. We are literally unaware of what we’re doing when we’re habiting (interestingly, spellcheck didn’t object to that word, though it does object to spellcheck – obviously lacks self-awareness!).

We become aware of the habits only through an external observer or a significant act of self-awareness when we are habiting. And when we try to change our unhelpful habits (such as procrastination), we find out how heavy gravity really is. Buffet’s description of them as “chains” is very apt – our bad habits constrain us in ways that are imperceptible and immovable.

We may not be able to break unproductive habits, but we can create new and productive ones. We can call these value disciplines: productive habits that become so practiced we don’t have to think about them. Here’s the good news: helpful habits are as difficult to break as helpful ones.

Create a helpful habit today: turn off your phone for an hour every day so you can get some real work done. Listen for the first 5 minutes of every conversation. Take 5 minutes to plan your day. Record 3 successes every day. Make at least one sales call every day. Talk to all your direct reports at least once every day. Get physical exercise 3 times a week. Perform one non-financial act of kindness every day.

The possibilities are endless.