When it come to building strong habits, I say the same thing I say when I’m talking to a flying squid who’s smacking me with her tentacles when I’m trying to work: stop making it difficult.
Habits and Airborne Tentacles
There aren’t a lot of things that habits and flying squids have in common. Off the top of my head, I’d have to say they’re repetitive, they start out annoying and can still sometimes remain annoying, and after awhile you kind of forget they’re there. They often both also play dead sometimes, even when they’re just resting.
But the more I’ve become accustomed to both the more I realize one thing: we often make them a bigger deal than they really are.
Sure, flying squids like to play pranks by pulling another zombie into the air and dropping them in toxic lakes, but that’s pretty much the same M.O. of the local fraternity.
When it comes to habits (and flying squids if you have any): stop making it difficult. Just follow these three simple steps. Surprisingly they apply to both.
The Three Easy Steps to Better Habits and Squid Relationships
We all get a little freaked out by both habits and squids. Next time, follow these three simple steps:
- Take It Easy. When you scare a squid, you get ink. Take it easy. When you scare a habit, you get freaked out. Just take it easy. Take a habit one day at a time. Don’t make it bigger than it needs to be. Just do what needs to be done to say you did it today.
- Be Consistent. Squids freak out by the unexpected. You need to interact with them the same way each time. Habits work the same way. Do them every day. It’s not how much you do that builds the habit, but the fact that you build streaks by doing them each day. It simply becomes part of who you are.
- Make It Fun. Squids love to play. If you play with them, they often totally forget how great it is to drop you in a lake of toxic ooze. Habits are similar: when you make doing them fun, you forget how difficult it was to get started and just find it something to look forward to.
When it comes to habits and squids, stop making it difficult. There’s a lot with both to be thankful for. Just have easy streaking fun™. Also, watch out for the tentacles. That’s how they get you.
