🌼3 Powerful ‘Keystone’ Habits To Fast-Track Your Self-Improvement
These daily habits automatically trigger a powerful chain reaction of healthy and productive behaviors.
Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, coined the term ‘keystone habits’.
Keystone habits differ from ordinary habits because, as Duhigg writes, these habits spark “chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.”
In other words, practicing one keystone habit triggers a positive ripple effect that automatically leads to other productive behaviors.
Learn MoreRead also: 5 stoic habits for productivity (must read)
This means you don’t have to practice dozens of habits to improve your life…
Just focus on a few keystone habits and you’ll automatically trigger a ripple effect of positive, productive behaviors throughout your life.
Keystone Habit 1: Exercise
“Exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change in your life,” writes Charles Duhigg.
Research shows that regular exercise (at least 3x per week) leads to a range of positive behaviors such as:
Less stress
Better sleep
Better mood
Healthier eating habits
Increased emotional control
Increased productivity at work
Improved cognitive performance
In other words, exercise triggers a strong ripple effect throughout your entire life, which is why it’s one of the most powerful keystone habits.
As James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) wrote:
“Fitness is the keystone habit the puts the rest of my life in place. When I workout, other things naturally fall into place. Exercise naturally pushes me towards my best self.”
I agree with James Clear and Charles Duhigg.
Exercise — especially weightlifting and kickboxing — is the keystone habit that glues everything together for me.
When I’m on top of my fitness, I’m more productive at work, sleep much better, feel much better, and have more energy to do the things I want in my life.
Keystone Habit 2: Sleep 7–8 Hours Per Night
Sleep is one of the most powerful habits. When you make it a priority, you’ll find other productive and positive behaviors flow more easily.
But when you neglect it, it can trigger a range of negative behaviors that limit your productivity, performance, and happiness.
Research shows that after a good night’s sleep (between 7–9 hours), you’ll be more energized, mentally sharp, and in a better mood.
This automatically triggers a range of productive behaviors:
Better Sleep → More Energy → Higher Drive & Motivation
Better Sleep → Better Mood → Less Stress & Anxiety
Better Sleep → Improved Cognitive Performance → Increased Focus
Better Sleep → Stronger Willpower → Increased Productivity
But studies also show that when you neglect your sleep and don’t get enough of it, you’ll feel more fatigued, experience brain fog and impaired cognitive performance, and have weaker willpower.
Lack of sleep automatically triggers a range of unproductive behaviors:
Lack of Sleep → Brain Fog → Lack of Mental Clarity
Lack of Sleep → Low Willpower → Procrastination
Lack of Sleep → Fatigue → Lack of Drive & Motivation
Lack of Sleep → Impaired Cognitive Performance → Lack of Focus
All in all, your daily life and work will flow much better when you’re well-rested — which is why sleep is such an important keystone habit.
Read also: 7 things you must try at least once in this lifetime ( must read)
Keystone Habit 3: Daily + Weekly Planning
Making a plan for the day is one of the most powerful keystone habits because this one simple act facilitates all the tasks and habits you intend to do that day.
Studies show that daily planning makes you 3x more likely to follow through with your intentions.
In other words, by making a plan of which tasks and habits you intend to accomplish this day or week — and specifying exactly when you’ll be working on them — the odds of accomplishing these tasks and habits increase three-fold.
So, if you want to exercise more often, plan exactly when you’re going to hit the gym in the upcoming week.
If you want to read more non-fiction books, plan each reading session for the upcoming days.
And if you want to do more deep work for your side-hustle, plan exactly when you’re going to do it for the upcoming period.
If you’re serious about your goals and habits, you need to plan them in your daily schedule. Don’t leave it up to chance.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
Again, the mere act of planning a task or habit makes you 3x more likely to do it, which is why daily planning is one of the most powerful keystone habits.
Contributed by Jari Roomer
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