Project Inventorying Habits

Fragments from imaginary dialogues

“How can I measure progress?”

“There are many metrics you can use. 
One of them is Identity [<link; medium read].
Another one is Productivity [<link; medium read].

Another one is Habits.

In an important sense, habits are the fundamental unit of Growth. They automate behavior, making it effortless, which frees mental-space and energy.

The Growth process is both additive and subtractive. As concerns habits, it involves two aspects:

Habit-Making: creating habits (Additive)
Habit-Breaking: eliminating habits (Subtractive)

All the habits you have created and eliminated over the years have led to where you are today. That’s why I like to call habits ‘the building-blocks of Fate’.

The problem with habits is that, once installed, they tend to disappear from Awareness. They become invisible. I find it useful to make them visible again. I call this process Habit Awareness. 

Habit Awareness: the meta-habit of bringing habits back into Awareness”

“Why do you find it useful to bring habits back into Awareness?”

“Part of it is to counter the tendency to take them for granted. Becoming aware of your habits opens the opportunity to appreciate them (Gratitude practice).

Part of it is that habits are resources. You can use them as anchors (reminders) and triggers for installing other habits.

I’ve started recently creating an inventory of all my habits. Both big and small. Both those I’ve created and those I’ve eliminated over the course of my life. The list is far from finished, but it already offers a beautiful glimpse of my growth trajectory and serves as a vivid reminder of how far I’ve come.”

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