Love this kind of thinking Michelle! Completely agree, it's not binary at all, more of a spectrum, and if you get it right at least 80% of the time, it's enough.
It made me think of this recent Huberman tweet:
"Myth 1: thinking we can go w/o daily sun (even if through clouds), exercise, sleep, quality nutrients & human connection & still be healthy.
Myth 2: thinking we’ll dissolve into a puddle of tears/cancer/dementia/early death if we don’t.
Nailing the basics 80% of the time works."
Really enjoyed all the little details about the Indian side, McDonald's and also, laughed a lot with the "Binary Drinks", so perfect 😂😂
I totally agree here :) it’s so easy to think that a habit has to have a streak but I think that it’s more mature to acknowledge getting off the wagon and recognizing even more strongly why you have a habit (or lack thereof) in the first place.
Well said, Goose. Lean into the fluidity of everything! Or don't. Or a little. Or sometimes. lol
I've noticed for myself, a lot of things are often very seasonal. I like to play around with things, reassess, and adjust and that works better for me. Whether that's with alcohol, food, exercise, writing, whatever, there's always room to approach things in a different way for different lengths of time. Not being attached to an identity can be so useful/crucial.
Interesting & refreshing perspective on habits and identity. Letting go of "all or nothing" mentality relieves the pressure to be perfect at sustaining healthy behaviors.
My qualm with identify-based habits is I feel it can lead to the line of thinking that healthy habits = identity = righteousness & worthiness. Perhaps because our modern society labels things as healthy/unhealthy and good/bad. Moderation doesn't sell, but we can't let that stop us from the imperfect process of self-improvement
I like this essay a lot Michelle! Even though Atomic Habits is the book I read at the start of every year, I still agree with you that habits don't have to be an all in thing. Life gets busy and messy and being too hard on yourself for not completing your habit behaviors every day isn't good. Plus, sometimes I think people miss the point of habits and habit tracking...I think for some it becomes less about trying to live a healthier, more active, happier, (insert other reasons for implementing habit here) life and more about checking the box on their habit tracker. They base their productivity for the day and their satisfaction with how the day went based on whether or not every box is checked and that's not the point of habits.
I really like what Oscar said about the Huberman tweet regarding 80%. We as humans aren't perfect, so it's unrealistic to think we'll make the right decision or complete the habit 100% of the time!
Great piece, Michelle! Something like Analog Habits! I really like how you bridge identity and behavior.
I like to describe my relationship with alcohol as non-dual. 😆 I'm a non-drinker when I'm not drinking and a drinker when I'm drinking. It takes the pressure off.
I like to have a flexible resolution on my habits when first starting. Then, once momentum and consistency is established, reassess. Then relax after a while and reset if need be though generally I tend towards process oriented habits.
You hit on something I've not really considered, which is habits I have that are identity based. I would say I am most rigid or fundamentalist about habits that I have tied to a sense of identity, wanting to be a person who_____ (fill in the blank.) That led me to another line of inquiry which is how much my sense of self is tied to what I DO, vs . . . something else, but I don't even know what that something else would be. So I'd say my own inability to be a flexatarian or flexa-anything is connected to having a weak sense of identity outside of behavior. Hmmm. Very interesting.
Nice read, Michelle. On board with this “good enough” idea. Of course it all works out for normal, generally fit persons. Liked the narrative, as always. And your style. :)
Very good point! With a lot of habits, it becomes difficult to know if we do them to belong to a tribe or if it is unconscious signaling. Tailoring preferences goes a long way to changing behavior over time. If we don't think "it's either I eat junk food or not" but "I eat a bit less now and a bit less later if I see a positive effect", then it becomes easier to change.
You are spot on with this. Few things in life are binary. When I was a personal trainer, 85% was the number I told people to shoot for. That equates to getting exercise 6 out of 7 days a week and eating 18 out of 21 meals a week as healthy ones (assuming 3 meals a day.) People would read about these ridiculous diets and exercise programs and try to be 100% all in and they would inevitably fail. Getting some type of movement 6 days a week and eating mostly healthy is good enough. And if you do good enough consistently you end up with amazing results. Besides, who the hell can resist McDonald’s fries 100% of the time??
Love this kind of thinking Michelle! Completely agree, it's not binary at all, more of a spectrum, and if you get it right at least 80% of the time, it's enough.
It made me think of this recent Huberman tweet:
"Myth 1: thinking we can go w/o daily sun (even if through clouds), exercise, sleep, quality nutrients & human connection & still be healthy.
Myth 2: thinking we’ll dissolve into a puddle of tears/cancer/dementia/early death if we don’t.
Nailing the basics 80% of the time works."
Really enjoyed all the little details about the Indian side, McDonald's and also, laughed a lot with the "Binary Drinks", so perfect 😂😂
I totally agree here :) it’s so easy to think that a habit has to have a streak but I think that it’s more mature to acknowledge getting off the wagon and recognizing even more strongly why you have a habit (or lack thereof) in the first place.
Well said, Goose. Lean into the fluidity of everything! Or don't. Or a little. Or sometimes. lol
I've noticed for myself, a lot of things are often very seasonal. I like to play around with things, reassess, and adjust and that works better for me. Whether that's with alcohol, food, exercise, writing, whatever, there's always room to approach things in a different way for different lengths of time. Not being attached to an identity can be so useful/crucial.
Interesting & refreshing perspective on habits and identity. Letting go of "all or nothing" mentality relieves the pressure to be perfect at sustaining healthy behaviors.
My qualm with identify-based habits is I feel it can lead to the line of thinking that healthy habits = identity = righteousness & worthiness. Perhaps because our modern society labels things as healthy/unhealthy and good/bad. Moderation doesn't sell, but we can't let that stop us from the imperfect process of self-improvement
I like this essay a lot Michelle! Even though Atomic Habits is the book I read at the start of every year, I still agree with you that habits don't have to be an all in thing. Life gets busy and messy and being too hard on yourself for not completing your habit behaviors every day isn't good. Plus, sometimes I think people miss the point of habits and habit tracking...I think for some it becomes less about trying to live a healthier, more active, happier, (insert other reasons for implementing habit here) life and more about checking the box on their habit tracker. They base their productivity for the day and their satisfaction with how the day went based on whether or not every box is checked and that's not the point of habits.
I really like what Oscar said about the Huberman tweet regarding 80%. We as humans aren't perfect, so it's unrealistic to think we'll make the right decision or complete the habit 100% of the time!
Great piece, Michelle! Something like Analog Habits! I really like how you bridge identity and behavior.
I like to describe my relationship with alcohol as non-dual. 😆 I'm a non-drinker when I'm not drinking and a drinker when I'm drinking. It takes the pressure off.
I like to have a flexible resolution on my habits when first starting. Then, once momentum and consistency is established, reassess. Then relax after a while and reset if need be though generally I tend towards process oriented habits.
You hit on something I've not really considered, which is habits I have that are identity based. I would say I am most rigid or fundamentalist about habits that I have tied to a sense of identity, wanting to be a person who_____ (fill in the blank.) That led me to another line of inquiry which is how much my sense of self is tied to what I DO, vs . . . something else, but I don't even know what that something else would be. So I'd say my own inability to be a flexatarian or flexa-anything is connected to having a weak sense of identity outside of behavior. Hmmm. Very interesting.
Nice read, Michelle. On board with this “good enough” idea. Of course it all works out for normal, generally fit persons. Liked the narrative, as always. And your style. :)
Very good point! With a lot of habits, it becomes difficult to know if we do them to belong to a tribe or if it is unconscious signaling. Tailoring preferences goes a long way to changing behavior over time. If we don't think "it's either I eat junk food or not" but "I eat a bit less now and a bit less later if I see a positive effect", then it becomes easier to change.
You are spot on with this. Few things in life are binary. When I was a personal trainer, 85% was the number I told people to shoot for. That equates to getting exercise 6 out of 7 days a week and eating 18 out of 21 meals a week as healthy ones (assuming 3 meals a day.) People would read about these ridiculous diets and exercise programs and try to be 100% all in and they would inevitably fail. Getting some type of movement 6 days a week and eating mostly healthy is good enough. And if you do good enough consistently you end up with amazing results. Besides, who the hell can resist McDonald’s fries 100% of the time??