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How long does it take to build a habit? 21 days? 30 days? 66 days?

The honest answer is: forever. Because once you stop doing it, it is no longer a habit.

A habit is a lifestyle to be lived, not a finish line to be crossed. Make small, sustainable changes you can stick with.
— James Clear (@JamesClear) August 19, 2018

****

Tweet of the Week: @JamesClear

October 21, 2019 by Andrew Hitz in Tweet of the Week

I have mentioned being a fan of James Clear many times here on the TEM Blog. This tweet is a great example of why.

“A habit is a lifestyle to be lived, not a finish line to be crossed.”

I have framed a habit in my head as having a finish line many times. Maybe not explicitly, but that’s how I’ve approached them theoretically.

This is a call to action over the long haul. Sustainable change is what we are really looking for.

And as a bonus, here is a reply to the above tweet which also resonated with me:

Another protip: when creating a new habit, focus on frequency over intensity.

For example, do 1 pushup per day instead of 20 pushups every few days. It has to be so easy and small that you can't fail.
— Alex Badalyan (@alexbadalyan) August 19, 2018

Frequency over intensity! I have successfully created new habits in the practice room, as a writer, as a podcaster and as a small business owner using frequency as the engine so this is a good reminder!

TEM167: It's all about frequency (TEM Short)

February 13, 2019 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

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TEM167: It's all about frequency (TEM Short)

"Habits form based on frequency, not time."

—James Clear from his new book, Atomic Habits

What You'll Learn:

The power of identity
The benefits of easily attainable goals like doing one push-up a day
Why frequency of a habit is much more important than total time spent
A lesson we've all learned in the practice room that applies to everything in life

Links:

Atomic Habits by James Clear

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1. Help me get to my next goal of $100 per episode on Patreon by pledging as little as $1 per episode to support the show: https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast.

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And finally, a huge thank you to Parker Mouthpieces for providing the hosting for TEM.

Produced by Andrew Hitz

Show notes for all episodes of TEM including topics discussed, links to all books and websites referenced can be found at:

http://www.andrewhitz.com/shownotes

TEM157: Building healthy habits and the value of routine - A conversation with Brodie Welch

October 04, 2018 by Andrew Hitz in TEM Podcast, Show Notes

Listen via:

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Spotify
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TEM157: Building healthy habits and the value of routine - A conversation with Brodie Welch

Brodie Welch is a self-care specialist and entrepreneur.

What You'll Learn in TEM157:

How we are creatures of habit and not creatures of willpower
The importance of knowing your why when trying (why are you trying to implement this habit in the first place)
The power of habit stacking
The five powerful cues you can use to implement a new habit
How using an accountability buddy can be a great tool to keep you on track
Why we should view reaching out to customers who have asked to hear from us as performing a service rather than trying to sell something
The power of a rock solid morning routine (and why it starts the night before)
Some techniques to ensure you are putting first things first
Why wearing how exhausted you are from working hard as a badge of honor is BS
Why identity evolution means that the right thing at the right time won't always be that way because humans are constantly changing
The cost associated with adding without subtracting