Posts Tagged ‘habit’

27th day going.. in spite of the various reasons..

Posted: March 19, 2011 in Uncategorized
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Today’s going to be the 27th consecutive day.

It is a change happening in life, and my frequent mentions of the same, is a way to acknowledge the change! So bear with me, on this.

As I think back to previous attempts to be regular, and where I failed, and how different it has been this time, I can see some clear factors.

In these 27 days also, there have been enough issues where I could have taken a break. To my mind, it would have been justification enough. At least the way that I used to approach the same goal or resolve earlier, these factors were justifiable for taking a break.

What kind of issues I am referring to?

The slight pain in the knee..

That niggle in the ankle..

The cold and the cough, and the slightly sore throat..

The slightly early meeting that I needed to attend at work..

All of these were reasons earlier, to give the morning exercise routine, a miss.

This time around, I have not allowed myself such alibis.

Of course, if it was a really bad knee pain or ankle pain, I would have had no choice but to take the break. But I think, even on previous occasions, when I had succumbed to such excuses, it was never a bad paid or a bad throat. The early meeting at work was usually not that early, where I could not start 30 minutes earlier, do my morning exercise, and still make it to the meeting.

But those days, I was looking to take a break.

This time around, I am looking to make it happen.

So the break, as and when it happens first, will BE for a definitely unavoidable reason.

And therein lies the difference this time.

Have you tried to work on a good routine but failed? Kept going back to old ways? Or you succeeded? Love to hear about your experience. Do share in the comments below..

21 Days to a Changed Life – I am 7 Days Into It.. Can I do 14 more?

Posted: February 28, 2011 in Uncategorized
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They say, if you wish to make a change in your lifestyle, you need to find a way to do it, 21 days in succession.

Say you want to change your sleeping time, or you want start a new diet, or a new time to have your meals, etc. What you need to do is to force yourself (or find a way, anyhow) to do it for 21 days. Consistently. And you should be into the new system. Ingrained into you. Formed as a new habit. Used to it. Into it.

Well, I hope that it right.

Because I have myself embarked on a journey of change. And I am into it, for last 7 days. And looking to do it for the next 14 days as well. And hoping that these 21 days then, make it a full fledged habit, and a change in lifestyle, for good.

And what are the changes I am working on?

1. I am sleeping early. Early for me, is in the 11 pm – midnight band. As against, 1-2 am that used to be the norm.

2. I am looking to sleep at least 7 hours. Again, as against 5:30-6 hours that I was averaging.

3. Once I get up in the morning, I desire to NOT do regular work, but instead, catch up on some reading, listen to podcasts, catch up on RSS feeds, perhaps write blog posts or other stuff. But NOT get into routine emails and stuff like that.

4. Then, in the morning, go for a morning walk or alternately, do some other workout. Minimum of 30-45 min.

5. Generally, eat healthily. I am not off all fried or sweet food. But just conscious enough to have small helpings and avoid when I can. So control to that extent.

6. Have meals at reasonable hours. Somehow find the time, even in the middle of back to back meetings, to do lunch and not wait till 5 pm, to grab something to eat!

Yes, these were urgent needs at my end. So set things on the right path.

And I have done a decent 7 days of this, including a Sunday. And looking forward to 14 more days, as a first target. And thereafter, hoping for the theory to hold true. That it becomes a natural way of life.

Have you had any such experience on the 21-days rule? How did it go for you? And what do you think of my new resolutions? 🙂

The Habit of Reading: A Thirst for Knowledge

Posted: January 9, 2009 in Uncategorized
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I got my earliest introduction to the pleasures of reading, from my father. He was an avid reader, and consumed a lot of books. He was very diligent with some of his self-development and management boos reading. He would make notes, re-read the chapters, and in short, ensure that he absorbs the book to the max.

I picked up the habit and would read a reasonable amount of books and magazines, when I could. I used to read fiction as a student, but have more or less stopped reading fiction for last 10-15 years. I get all my fixes of fiction from movies!

But I have tried to keep pace with non-fictional reading all these years.

During the period of 9-10 years when we were nurturing our Internet startup, Homeindia.com, time was really sparse. And the reading volumes fell significantly. I used to miss reading, and used to feel miserable when I did not read a book for 4-5 months sometimes.

But then, I discovered audio books! They were a God sent. I had long commutes to work, and I managed to use these well, while devouring one audio book after another. It was a great habit to form again.

While a printed book is always a preference, as you can stay on a page, ponder over the thought, think about how it fits your own situation, before turning the page over, the same is not possible in an audio book. The audio book keeps moving ahead, and you have to strive to ensure that you keep the concentration. But this one disadvantage aside, I value the fact that I can at least manage to cover books, rather than not doing so at all!

I graduated further, after a couple of years, to the iPod. And this opened up so many more avenues. For one, the audiobooks came on the iPod, so I did not need to carry CDs around.

But more importantly, with the iPod, I got introduced to the world of Podcasts. I have over time, subscribed to so many different topics of podcasts, and these have enriched me across a wide variety of subjects, and I have enjoyed them tremendously.

I continue to listen to podcasts and read audio books, regularly, now, on the iPod.

What saddens me as I look around me – to my friends, family, colleagues – is that they all read so litle these days. In fact I see a drastic reduction also in the newspaper reading habits.

How will these people enhance their knowledge, their skills? The knowledge on any subject stays so superficial without the accompanied reading support?!

I am so glad for my interest to read, and for having hit upon audio books and the iPod, which have been able to keep my reading habit going strong!