Will habit overload occur in future?

[zunnyman]

Hey guys, I have been following leo’s advice on the start section on his website of implementing one habit at a time. So far I have one habit: 1 hour strong determination sitting that i have kept up for 10 months. Now I am planning on implementing one habit every 30 days. But after a few years won’t I have too many habits in place? There are atleast 15-20 juicy habits I want to implement in my life. Should I stick to only a few forever, or continue to implement one every 30 days with the faith that itll all work out in a few years. 

One solution I have figured out that I think will work is to add a new habit every 30 days to my morning routine, and evening routine, so it just mentally feels like I have 2 main habits (morning and evening routine) over the years that are just solidifying over time. Any thoughts on this as well?

[wavydude]

You implemented one habit and you worry what will happen when you implement 15 ? Worry about the next one.
The answer to your question will probably come along as you progress.

[Eva]

49 minutes ago, zunnyman said:

One solution I have figured out that I think will work is to add a new habit every 30 days to my morning routine, and evening routine, so it just mentally feels like I have 2 main habits (morning and evening routine) over the years that are just solidifying over time. Any thoughts on this as well?

 

A lot of resources suggest this approach as well. Having a morning and evening routine and grouping your small habits into these lumps. You can google "tiny habits" and "habit stacking" to get more info on that.

Nevertheless, every person has hundreds or even thousands of habits a day that they implement without a thought. So the number of good habits should not have an upper limit in real life since they start to overtake negative, unconscious habits.

I remember reading Miracle Morning a few years ago and trying to implement it (SAVERS - silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading and 'scribing', as in writing). Though I loved the idea I felt extremely overwhelmed with it all. I'm all-or-nothing, black-and-white, I-want-it-all-now kinda person and steady calm perseverance with a craftsman mindset has never been my strength. So I switched to having just one new habit at a time (in my mind as well). Nowadays I have all of the SAVERS in place plus about a 4-5 other improving habits. So just the timing and my impatience were the problems, not the amount of the good habits.

Good luck and a lot of perseverance in your quest! Building foundations for your life by changing your habits is one of the greatest things you can do to help yourself get ahead!

 

Edited December 31, 2017 by Eva
Typo

[WaterfallMachine]

A question you might like to ask is what was the point of putting in habit restrictions in the first place? Usually when people place limits on habits, it's usually because there's a limited amount of willpower you can use in a day. Think of your willpower as a battery that runs out over time and needs to be recharged with leisure and sleep everyday. So to limit habits is a good practice for being able to implement some progress directed in one area rather than spreading out to different areas without any reasonable progress in any of them.

As a habit is practiced over time, it usually means that it would take less willpower from your battery at a time. And so it frees up space for other habits to try. Some people try 1 habit a month for everyone, but I disagree with that. The thing is everyone has their own individual amount of willpower in their batteries. Some have more. Some have less. Some have more when it comes to certain areas of life or interests, and some have less on those. 

I notice as I did more personal development, over time I could take more difficult habits. Using up more willpower from my batteries made the amount even higher. And when I'm stressed or going through a rough period, it gets lower. It changes over time. 

So I suggest you observe yourself. But I'd err on the side of taking on less than more if I were you, as quick and many often means giving up from how overwhelming it is too soon. But slow and steady lasts for longer, and so creates more progress in the long term.

[YaNanNallari]

As your awareness grows you will also find more clarity in which habits end up being important.

[aurum]

@zunnyman

You can implement too many new habits at once and end up failing because of it. But assuming you do it slowly enough, there's no such thing as habit overload.

95% of your life is habit. The way you eat, the way you speak, the way you stand, the way you think, all of it is basically just patterns looping over and over unless you make the choice to change.

One every 30 days will be fine. Your original habit will already be solidifying at that point so you can definitely stack another.

I also agree with tying them to your morning / nightly routine. That's exactly what I do.

[Moreira]

habits become part of your character, you'll end up doing them because they're aligned with your principles and what you think is the right way to be.

Then being yourself will be effortless.

[zunnyman]

These are great thoughts, insights, and solutions for effective habits guys, thank you  

[SOUL]

I'm working on habit underload..... by removing habits one at a time, eventually the only habit left to remove will be me removing habits and *poof*....I will be uninhabited.