Habits are like casting a vote
This is from a writing prompt at the IndieWebClub Bangalore meetup.
After several attempts of starting hobbies and giving them up, I have been reading a lot about how to stick with habits. There seem to be two primary ways to do it.
Make it your identity
When you define yourself by something you want to be, you tend to do it. You would not even consider that a "habit".
You are a musician, a runner. You are an early morning riser.
Once this identity is set, not doing it feels weird. It feels like you did something wrong, which you will try to correct immediately after.
Focus on little improvements
When you start doing something new, you will not be good at it. There is also a lot of inertia to even start, in the early days.
One way to make it easier is to break it down into very small tasks so it feels easier to accomplish.
If you want to work out every day, maybe you want to start with just doing some warmups, squats and pushups at home and slowly graduate to a full strength training routine.
How do you vote?
Who you are, what you do is an active choice you need to make everyday, and you are voting on how to change yourself.
Are you voting for a party which promises a big change in the way things are being done?
Or are you voting for the candidate who is focusing on improving the small issues you care about?