How Several Key Habits Can Change Your Life

"If you asked Michael what he thinks about before a competition, he would say nothing," said Phelps coach Bob Bowman. - He just followed the routine. His life was controlled by habits. The stretch went exactly as planned. Warm-up swims - exactly as usual. The headphones played exactly what he expected."

What most would find boring, he considered vital.

The race itself for him is just another item in the schedule, which consisted of some victories. And the gold medal is just a natural continuation of the day.

What is the Power of Key Habits

Habits make our actions and their results predictable. When the body is on autopilot, you perform well no matter what conditions you find yourself in.

Phelps had many of these habits. He imagined the perfect race - every wave of the hand and every turn - in the morning after waking up and in the evening before bed. He always started stretching with his arms and ended with his ankles, he always knew exactly how long it would take him to warm up before the swim.

It seems like it takes too much effort. But some habits accumulate and make it easier to develop other good habits. Charles Duhigg calls them key in his book The Power of Habit. Unlike normal habits, they bring positive results that extend to other areas of life. They set off a chain reaction that changes your entire routine.

How to develop them

As it turned out, it's not a matter of a specific action, but of an intention. According to Duhigg, the power of a key habit lies in its ability to change the way we think about ourselves.

Any action can become a key habit if it helps you see yourself in a new way.

At first glance, simple and insignificant habits can lead to unexpected results. For example, it can be such actions:

Get up early … You will have an extra hour or two of free time when no one will distract you. You can devote this time to your hobby or project that you have long wanted to do. Plus, having a productive morning will help you feel more confident all day.
Make the bed … It sounds silly, but for some, even this simple action is already a small victory that disciplines and gives a sense of control.
Meditate … Meditation helps reduce stress and anxiety, and develops emotional stability. And the peace of mind that comes with the process comes in handy when making decisions.

Don't focus on these examples specifically. Start with something that will please you and work your way up gradually.