There is a trait that runs through success in any undertaking. It is consistency.
Consistency is the bedrock of compounding.
I have found that one of the ways I improve my consistency in any activity I choose, is to tie the activity to a habit I already have. I call the pre-existing habits – vector habits.
Let me use an example.
I brush my teeth every morning – vector habit. Whether I feel like it or not, I just brush my teeth every morning. I decided I needed to do 20 pushups every morning, so I told myself, I would do 20 pushups before I brush my teeth.
Naturally, my body will prompt me to brush my teeth. As the vector habit kicks in, it carries 20 pushups with it.
I have applied it to some other areas and it works. It only stops if I kill the vector habit.
The trick for me is to tie a desired “effortful” consistency to a pre-existing “effortless” consistency. This helps to reduce the activation energy of the desired consistency.
– Osasu Oviawe