The Habit Journey

No system will ever be perfect. The HabitSystem is no different. There are either systems that work or those that don’t. What you should aim for is a system that works for you. People may tell you what has worked for them, but ultimately, it is up to you to find out what works for you and your specific goals.

If you look closely at the beautiful, plush crown of a giant oak tree, you will see many little flaws. There will be some leaves that look diseased, other branches have been slightly broken, and the whole structure is actually quite haphazard. But on the whole, it comes together to create a voluminous and glorious sight to see. You will have fits and starts and problems along your Habit Journey, but in the end what you are creating is a work of art—your life’s work.

You alone are responsible for your success and taking care of your HabitSystem. And you are the only person to decide how and when to develop your system. In my experience, development of your system will inevitably happen over time—as long as it’s working. Once your HabitSystem is up and running, you will inevitably find room for improvement. That is the very nature of things.

Like I’ve said many times, trying to perfect your system and your approach from the start is a futile attempt. What is far more important is to keep going. Your main goal when starting with a HabitSystem is to stick to the elements of the trunk—Daily Repetition and Tracking. These are the building blocks to ensure future stability and growth. If you do both, you will be able to develop your system over time—assuming your system obeys the rules of the roots: Action and Simplicity. These two simple concepts are what will enable you to see success with your HabitSystem.

When you start with a HabitSystem, you will start slow. You will begin with a very small goal: implementing just one habit. Then, over time, more and more habits join your ongoing system. Your beliefs and mindset will change and grow as you move along.

There is plenty of time for you to add new habits and make refinements. But it will take time to do so. If you are too eager, you will fail. In any martial art, sport, or musical instrument, you will start with the basics. Only when you have mastered the basics can you start to play with your own unique elements.

Once you have successfully implemented a few habits, you will want to explore new disciplines and try out new approaches. You will hone existing approaches and cease doing certain activities that do not work. All of this is part of the Habit Journey.

Overall, there are three different aspects to the development of your system. In the part on Growth Habits, we talked quite a bit about them. But now, I want to take the time to expand on them. The three aspects of developing your system are Vertical Growth, Horizontal Growth, and Cathartic Growth.

Vertical Growth

Vertical Growth is the most easily understood component of the Habit Journey. It simply refers to the progress you’ve made because of continuous Daily Repetition. Vertical Growth is related to your improved second language ability, your honed writing skillset, your increased profits in business, your improved fitness, your improved ability to read, or even your ever-growing list of journal entries.

The 10,000-hour rule

Vertical Growth is the result of continuous learning and the reaction of your body and mind to the process you embrace by Daily Repetition. If you practice anything long enough, you will eventually become a master. This notion is backed by science and has become known as the 10,000-hour rule. If you practice something, be it an instrument or any other skill, for 10,000 hours, you will be among the world’s elite.

Truth be told, 10,000 hours is an incredibly long time. It means doing something every single day for five hours during a time span of nearly eight years. Consequently, one is not surprised to hear that most people who work 10,000 hours at something started out very early. For instance, the best musicians started out as kids and the same is true for most successful athletes.

It is easy to get demotivated by the fact that you are too old for something. That is one way to look at it. You can, however, also take a more positive look at mastery. The rest of your life is still ahead of you. And even more encouraging, the HabitSystem actually provides you with a tool to practice anything every single day. It can help you in two ways. First, you may already have something you are quite good at but want to do more often. Then the HabitSystem allows you to do just that. Second, you may use the HabitSystem as a source of inspiration to help you find something that you start to do daily and become good at it.

The importance of long-term thinking and acting

No matter what it is, Daily Repetition and continuous Tracking will make you become better. There is no question about that. And the best thing is that you will be able to stick to your activity not only for a couple of weeks, but very possibly, the rest of your life.

At this point, you may understand why I stress the importance of long-term and sustainable change. Short fixes are meaningless in the long run. No one cares about you going to the gym for half a year; there will be zero results in the long run. No one gives a damn about you deciding to meditate if you stop after a couple of sessions. This list could go on and on. Yet, we see people fall victim to the trap of quick fixes time and time again.

It requires a significant change in mindset to approach things with a long-term idea in mind. If you live the HabitSystem and implement habits like those described here, you will see these mindset changes happen. It will be easy to see how a sustainable approach is the only thing that counts.

Impressive Vertical Growth is just as slow as the growth in our oak tree. It takes decades for an oak tree to reach impressive heights. Yet, these trees are the ones we see and admire. The tiny sapling that has grown very quickly for a short period of time but then dies is quickly forgotten. Quick fixes without lasting impact are similarly lost.

Make time your ally

Growing your skills will require time, which is a quintessential part of the equation that must be taken into account. Time is something you simply cannot control. What you can control, however, is the amount of time you put into your daily habits. The more you do, the more your abilities will grow. But without consistency and short bursts of energy—caused by our false friend motivation—you will not be able to yield long-term results. Daily Repetition will allow you to achieve consistency and then, something magical happens: time will become your friend.

If you look at an oak tree with healthy roots and a trunk that supports growth, you know that this tree will eventually become a majestic behemoth—the king of the forest. The most important thing this tree requires is time. Time, then, is the tree’s ally. Time is the only part of the equation that has to change so the tree can grow tall. Because the foundation is already there. You can do the same with your habits, if you apply the concepts in the right way.

The thing is, you cannot force growth—at least not in the long run. In the short run, you can achieve something with strenuous effort. In the long run, this is not possible. Accepting that you cannot force growth is a calming revelation. Because if you do, you will be able to work without mental barriers. And then, suddenly, you will see growth materialize.

As soon as you adhere to Action and Simplicity, and as soon as you begin to practice Daily Repetition and Tracking, your growth becomes inevitable. It is just a matter of time.

Horizontal Growth

Horizontal Growth consists of two interconnected elements. First, there is the increase in habits which add up over time. The second element of Horizontal Growth is the notion of the Spillover Effect, a phenomenon that occurs because success begets success.

New branches, new habits

Just like our oak tree grows more mature, your HabitSystem will develop and evolve. A mature system can handle many habits, a young system only a few. Think of a small seedling that is still weak and fragile—one little storm and it crumbles. A mature oak tree, however, will not be bothered by a storm and can stand tall through the worst weather. The same is true for your HabitSystem. At first, you are not able to have many habits. Remember that Entropy and Resistance strike when the change is too big. When you start with your HabitSystem, one or two habits should be the maximum.

Only as you grow and make habits become permanent are you able to then add more habits into the mix. This is one of the manifestations of Vertical Growth and it is easy to see the results. Over time, you can tackle every aspect of your life knowing that it will turn out to be a massive success.

The Spillover Effect revisited

The second notion of Horizontal Growth is that of the Spillover Effect. We actually encountered this “side-effect” when we talked about the impact of Growth Habits. In fact, the Spillover Effect should by no means be underestimated. The real power it brings can only be felt when experienced. And to experience the Spillover Effect, you have to have made some progress. As with all elements of the crown, it takes time for this effect to materialize, but once it does, the progress will start to compound. That’s why they are part of the crown and not part of the trunk or the roots.

The Spillover Effect is linked to an increase in habits

The Spillover Effect and the increasing number of habits are deeply interlinked. One begets the other. When one habit generates success, you will see this new momentum transfer over to other habits. And as you have success with your HabitSystem, you will find ways to implement change in the form of new habits. Here you will see that the approach used by the HabitSystem is very flexible and can be used in many contexts. Part of the Habit Journey is discovering all these new possibilities to leverage new ways of growth.

For instance, I found out that I could use the HabitSystem to improve my study habits for exams. I decided to study every single day, even if it is just a little bit. Over time, these little pieces of studying added up. During semester breaks, I skipped my learning habit only to resume it again when the new semester started. With this approach of learning every day (and keeping track of it), the workload was divided more evenly over the course of the semester which allowed me to do less during finals week.

Most people I know who use the HabitSystem approach are avid learners who want to create an impact in their lives. Quite often, they find new things they want to implement as habits that they have never been able to do consistently. And now, when they are able to implement these new activities, they find that this success encourages them to try even more things. In fact, your whole perception of learning will change as you use the HabitSystem. This is an example of a change in your mindset caused by constant repetition of Growth Habits. In general, your confidence will rise and you will find your success with the HabitSystem to spillover to other areas of your life.

Keeping balance is very important

The most important thing, though, is to keep calm and not to overdo it. Even with the HabitSystem, it is not possible to maintain an infinite amount of habits. Especially when you have a lot going on in your life—be it work, family, or something else.

The HabitSystem is about balance. If a tree grows too broadly, balance is no longer possible—the tree becomes unstable. Again, the metaphor of the tree is applicable to our HabitSystem. Too much Horizontal Growth will negatively impact the balance of your system and may cause it to collapse. The lesson learned here is to not add too many habits overall.

Throughout your Habit Journey, you will find some habits to be no longer needed or may even become a hindrance. Or you might find that you actually do have too many habits and you realize it’s time to drop some. It may also happen that your habit design, be it the desired activity or the Completion Threshold, requires a redesign. All of these things constitute elements of the Habit Journey and we will look at them more closely later in this section.

Cathartic Growth

Cathartic Growth is the third type of growth in the Habit Journey. “Catharsis” is a Greek term and Merriam Webster defines it as “a purification or purgation that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension.” When I talk about Catharsis in the Habit Journey, I liken it to the annual shedding of leaves in the fall.

Like our oak tree, your HabitSystem will require changes in design from time to time. Look at the tree losing its leaves each fall; they are dying, falling to the ground, and no longer necessary. Yet leaves fall every year. There is no sadness or stress in losing things that are no longer beneficial. Your mindset in creating new habits and letting others go is that you are only doing what is needed to take you on your life’s journey. The old leaves can die off and go somewhere else to be part of something else; the new leaves are the result of your time and consistency, and represent your intentional way of forming beneficial habits.

The HabitSystem is all about incremental and iterative progress. Part of this notion is that the whole system is constantly evaluated and, if necessary, refined. This refinement is the result of Cathartic Growth. It does not mean that you should question your approach all the time. Rather, it is a natural process. Cathartic Growth means that, as time progresses, you will find that some habits are no longer necessary or that a change in habit design may be required.

Dropping ineffective habits

Imagine you decided to grow your HabitSystem horizontally, spurred by the Spillover Effect. You added a new habit that you thought would benefit you. But as time passes, you see it does not suit your personality or is not what you thought it would be.

There can be two reasons for this. First, you haven’t stuck to the habit long enough for real change to materialize. Second, it could be the case that the habit does not suit you or is poorly designed. It is hard to tell which of these two reasons apply. The only person who can answer that question is you. You have to decide whether you want to stick to the habit, drop it, or change its design.

To help you answer this question, you may want to use the following questions as a guidance:

• Have I done the habit long enough—more than three months—to see possible results?
• Can I see myself doing the habit daily five years from now?
• Why is this particular habit important to me?
• Why did I add it in the first place?
• What were my intentions back then?

Answering these questions will help you in making the right decision. Dropping an ineffective habit is not a bad thing. It is a natural component of your Habit Journey. Keeping your system lean and effective is crucial. Dropping a habit is just like our tree shedding its leaves in the fall. It is part of an incremental renewal process.

Changes in habit design

Apart from dropping a habit, you may find out that a change in habit design may be necessary. This change may be either related to the Completion Threshold or the activity of the habit itself. Even though I have mentioned it a couple times, it is worth repeating: many people set their Completion Threshold too high. And, as a result, they are having problems with building streaks. Part of Cathartic Growth is recognizing this mistake—and fixing it. The other reason you may want to change your habit design is more related to the habit itself. Imagine your habit is designed very specifically.

For example, you have a habit of creating drawings with black and white pencils. But then you realize that you want to use watercolors or maybe even oil paints for your artwork. In this situation, you can simply define your habit a bit more broadly, thus making the other techniques doable as well. It may also be possible that your habit was designed to be too broad and you find out that you want to narrow it down a bit.

Whatever the case, keep in mind that the Habit Journey is not a predefined path but rather a very individual one, subject to adjustments. You are the master of your own destiny, so you can decide what you want. There is one caveat however…

A word of caution

Unfortunately, our brain is very good at finding excuses. We covered this briefly in the part about Skipping. It is highly relevant, too, when we talk about dropping habits or changing them. Do not fall victim to your brain telling you to drop a habit or change it just because you do not see significant growth yet. Most changes take some time, so perseverance and stamina are the name of the game. There is an oft-cited aphorism that goes, “Nothing worth having comes easy,” and it is highly relevant here.

I strongly encourage you to not be too quick when it comes to dropping habits or changing them too often because you do not see the results. If you do this, you may fall victim to an event-driven mindset and fail to see the process that drives progress. On the other hand, it is important to keep your system effective and lean. After all, the HabitSystem should spur, instigate, and fuel your personal growth. Still, it’s important to be aware of possible mistakes that can happen.