No More Procrastinating!

"Just later." "Maybe later." "Not yet mood, just tomorrow!"

Have you procrastinated? Most humans consciously or unconsciously procrastinate doing important things in life at least once, then regret the laziness afterward. Are you feeling familiar? Me too. However, I found an interesting automaton that helps me to procrastinate my procrastination with almost zero effort.

What is the automaton I am talking about? It is something called Autohabit.

You might think this sounds too good to be true, but it is realistic and achievable. I am a full-time worker in the Learning and Development department, a part-time English tutor for ESL students, and a Master's Degree student. But I can have time to learn thoroughly about the Bible as part of my Divinity course, write a studygram blog, and study three languages, namely Greek, Spanish, and Korean. And yes, I still have a life with my husband and three fluff kids. I even have a chance to play, not only one, but two online games! One is Zepeto, and the other is.. can you guess what game I play?

I got plenty of time to use as I please with this autohabit. Would you like to get your habit automated, too? If so, do not forget to like ❤️👍 this post and subscribe 🔔 as this will help the channel grow! Also, feel free to share this link with anyone wanting to have autohabit, too! ✍️ With that being said, let's get right into the tips.

---

How to Start a Habit?

First, what is a habit? Habit is an activity we do out of unconscious repetition and become the "compound interest of self-improvement", as Abdaal (2021) stated. In his book Atomic Habits, Clear (2018) said that repeating the same activities little by little, or in the atomic amount sequence, can help us build a long-lasting habit that is sensible.

Second, how long did it take you to build it? It takes 21 days to 'plant' a new habit in your life and make its root grips your daily life (TedxTalks, 2022b). So in a sense, you need to schedule 21 days, or 3 weeks straight, to 'program' your body into autohabit mode. Within these 21 days, you need to be committed and persevere, with all willpower and such (TedxTalks, 2022a). However, after this short amount of hell, you get a free pass to heavenly autohabit for the rest of your life! Worth it, right?

"Maybe not", you said to yourself. "I am a weak-willing person, and my schedule is messed up. I cannot last for a day, not to mention 3 whole weeks." If this is what you are thinking, then hold your horses! You never last before because you do not use this magic key! Let's see how you can change the outcome this time by using these 3 easy forms of steps.

1st Form: Habit Cue

The magic key I am talking about is Habit Cue. Do you know what cue is and why is it essential to program our autohabit? Imagine this: When you see a lemon, can you imagine its sourness prior to biting it? Why do you able to do so? It might have to do with how your brain perceives the triggering cue: the acidic smell of citrus, the yellow color of its skin, and WHAMM! Your memory from years ago when you were a kid and got the chance to taste lemon for the first time strikes you like yesterday. That is how powerful our brain reacts to any cue that triggers memory it stores (Clear, 2018).

How do we put this natural cueing skill we have into good use? Remember, a habit consists of a cue, a want, a reaction, and a reward (Clear, 2018). So try to make our good habit cues vivid, so clear that it unconsciously makes us want to do it, which then triggers our reaction to actually doing it. Then we get our reward: the satisfaction and proud feeling of ourselves being consistent and the positive effect that comes with the good habit we do (TedxTalks, 2022a).

Want to see a real example? Here are my cues:

As you can see, some widgets act as cues to my Spanish lesson, yoga practice, meditation, Bible reading, Korean study, etc. Let's take an example from the Bible reading cue. So after I see the verse, it cues me to tap on the JW Bible app, which then shows me my Bible reading in Greek. So, the cue triggers not only Bible reading but also Greek learning. Below is what my Greek Bible study looks like:

Of course, the reaction that I do is to start reading and listening in Greek! That way, I get my reward: Greek knowledge, Biblical education, and the satisfaction of keeping my study promise to myself. In short, the cue triggers a want, the want triggers a reaction, and the response of making the habit provides us with a reward (Clear, 2018). But wait, it is not only that! Almost magically, when a Habit Cue is going on full circle repetitively, it triggers another thing, namely Habit Loop.

2nd Form: Habit Loop

Have you heard about a loop? A loop is a full circle that never ends. Imagine having a healthy habit that goes on and on without you having to push yourself with any willpower! Life-long learning will be effortless, and you can be the "it girl" or "it guy" without pouring your total energy into it (TedxTalks, 2022a). With a habit loop, we can autopilot our body throughout the day and use our brain to think about things that matter - our work, studies, and family members. In turn, a never-ending Habit Loop becomes the base of your Autohabit. Once an Autohabit is installed, it will automatically repel procrastination!

3rd Form: Autohabit

Earlier, I shared that I am a full-time worker in the Learning and Development department, a part-time English tutor for ESL students, and a Master's Degree student. But I can have time to learn thoroughly about the Bible as part of my Divinity course, write a studygram blog, and study three languages, namely Greek, Spanish, and Korean. All while still having a life with my husband and three fluff kids and chances to play, not only one, but two online games! This result happened because of one of my Autohabits, which I started in 2015. My Autohabit allows me to get a chain reaction from one cue to another that triggers an effortless working-learning-playing environment for me. It has been an enormous blessing that I have enjoyed so far, and I hope you can achieve it, too!

However, if you are confused about what cue to trigger your habit loop, try using this. Here I shared a free template for your study schedule, and you can download it and open it in GoodNotes5 or Collanote to write your to-do list!

I hope my tips are helpful for you! ❤️👍 Good luck with your new habit within 21 days ahead! I believe you can!

References:

Abdaal, A. (2021, August 25). Atomic Habits by James Clear: Summary with Notes & Highlights. Ali Abdaal. https://aliabdaal.com/book-notes/atomic-habits-summary/

Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits. Instapdf. https://instapdf.in/atomic-habits/

TedxTalks. (2022a, April 12). The power of habit | Jude Aburdan | TEDxSafirSchool. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8nPv7Alrw4

TedxTalks. (2022b, April 13). How long does it take to change your life? | Nwal Hadaki | TEDxSafirSchool. Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g85WsxE1gAU