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Last updated on April 10th, 2022 at 08:42 pm
Can creating one good habit change your entire life? Yes, and in fact, a habit like this is called a keystone habit.
It dawned on me as I was listening to this podcast that my life changed to become more orderly when I unknowingly created a keystone habit. That one habit caused a chain reaction of other habits that ultimately led to a healthier lifestyle.
Before I go any further, let me explain what a keystone habit is.
A keystone habit is an idea coined by Charles Duhigg in his book, The Power of Habit. Keystone habits are “small changes or habits that people introduce into their routines that unintentionally carry over into other aspects of their lives.”
With that definition, it’s possible to create good or bad routines from a keystone habit. For the purposes of this article, let’s discuss ways to use one good habit to create goodness in your life.
Here’s my story …
For most of my life, I’ve been very inconsistent about exercising. Finally, I decided I wanted to make it a regular thing because I felt so crummy all the time.
After learning about an exercise program that works through an app, I decided to try it out. I’ve been consistently exercising every week since then.
One reason it works is the routine I intentionally set around it. I get my workout in before I leave the house (and hopefully before my kid wakes up). I listen to a podcast that I don’t have time to listen to later while I work out.
Now if I don’t do this at least 3 days a week, my entire life feels thrown off. My brain and body feel out of whack and my day doesn’t feel structured.
Because of this keystone habit, I had to create other routines to make it work. To get my workout in, I have to wake up earlier, which meant I have to go to bed earlier.
Because I get up earlier I have more time for a set morning routine. (And now my day doesn’t feel quite right without that morning routine.)
Can you see the chain reaction starting?
Not only did this keystone habit create new routines to make it happen, but it also opened up the possibility to create other good routines and habits in my life.
Here are some of the habits and routines that’s been made possible by that one keystone habit:
- Meal planning
- Budgeting
- Batch cleaning days
- Planning my days
- Streamlining household chores
Ordering one part of my life flicked a switch in my brain that made these things possible.
So the question is, what can be your keystone habit?
Here are some ideas to try:
- Regular exercise (get 7 days free of the SWEAT app that I use —not an affiliate link)
- Plan your day (take a free planning course here)
- Set one daily routine (like one of these)
- Set up cleaning or chore routines
- Daily prayer or Bible reading (use the Hallow app —not an affiliate link)
- Plan your meals (get 10% off Meal Planning Mastery here)
- Set a bedtime to get better sleep
- Get up at your alarm every morning
- Drink a glass of water every morning
If you chose to set up a new daily routine, use the free 10-Minute Tidy Habit Tracker to help you create the keystone habit >>>
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