Hello!

Welcome to Monday!

Since this is the last Monday of the year, we're going to talk about the most important habit - your keystone habit. We'll talk about why this habit is important and how you can find your own keystone habit.

Importance

Improvng your lifestyle and becoming the type of person who "has their act together" isn't nearly as hard as you might think. In fact, you might need just one keystone habit before the dominoes start falling everywhere." - James Clear

The keystone habit is the one habit that allows everything else to fall into place.

For example, when I go to the gym, I am more likely to eat well, go to bed early, and spend time rolling and stretching. I can make one simple change - go to the gym each day - and everything else will follow without much effort.

This is why keystone habits are so powerful.

They’re also a great tool to get you back on track when you’ve been slipping. They give you one small thing to focus on. But that one small thing has a huge impact.

"A keystone habit works like a net to catch you every time you fall. No matter what happens, just stick with it — and like a rubber ball, it will help you bounce back, step by step, without ever getting overwhelmed or completely falling off track." - Journal Smarter

We don’t need to do everything right in a day. We just need to do one thing right, and this will set us on a trajectory for huge success.

Implementation

You may already know what your keystone habit is.

If that’s the case, great! Otherwise, we need to do a bit of work to find it.

Consider the following questions:

  • “What are you doing when everything falls into place?” - James Clear
  • What one habit gives you a small sense of victory or a small win?
“Look for those patterns that give you numerous, small senses of victory; places where momentum can start to build.” - Charles Duhigg
  • What one habit provides a platform on which other habits can grow?
  • What one habit gives you the most energy and confidence that you can achieve anything?


Some examples of common keystone habits are:

  • Waking up early
  • Exercise
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Meditation
  • Journaling


You want this habit to be relatively small and simple - something you can complete each day without a huge amount of effort.

Now do it! Ideally every day. If this isn’t possible, apply the Two-Day Rule, which states you must not skip a habit two days in a row. One day is okay. Your momentum will keep going. But two days is too many.

Spend some time reflecting on how you can make this easier for yourself.

Can you modify your environment, i.e., putting your gym clothes out each night?

Do you need to set an alarm to remember?

Can you tie it to something else you do daily, such as making a cup of coffee or brushing your teeth?

(Free links)

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12 Micro Habits That Will Improve Your Life 1% Every Day

2 Steps to Lower Your Body’s Set Point to Burn More Fat

7 Crucial Movements to Do Every Day for Optimal Health and Peak Performance

Everyone Should Wake Up Before 6am. Here’s Why

7 Daily Habits To Improve Your Life, Starting Today

Thank you so much for supporting the newsletter this year. I launched Momentum on December 24, 2020, with the intention of providing simple and actionable ways for you to improve your health.

It has now grown into a big, supportive community of people looking to improve their lives.

I hope you've found the newsletter valuable and have been able to improve your health this year.

Have a great holiday season and I'll see you next year!