Stop - look what's around you first

#54 - a 16 week streak broken 😢

Hi there,

Cold is in the air but like some godly saviour shielding us from the misery of rain, wind and wet, Christmas is back 🎄! Starting to practice Christmas tunes at school for our concerts and decorations in the city centre are getting us through.

I’ve just got home from a marvellous concert in Symphony Hall, Birmingham (which I was looking forward to). It was stunning to be in such a grand hall and enjoy delightful music played and sung by incredible musicians. Definitely my highlight of the week.

You’ve been deprived of my precious wisdom for 2 weeks¹ so let’s get to work…

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I. It’s a relaxed Sunday afternoon. I’ve just had my lunch by the sofa, indulging in the gorgeous MasterChef food on TV.

I get up to wash my plate when I spot an open crisp packet on the table. I pick it up, snatch one out and crunch it to bits in my now salty mouth.

I wash my plate and on the way back to the TV, I do the same thing; only this time, it’s two crisps.

II. Towards the end of September, around 30 Year 12s and I put together a “Student Secrets to GCSE Success” guide for our Year 11s ahead of their big GCSE year. 3 friends and I went to speak at their welcome evening, where I released the booklet.

It’s a nice cover, isn’t it? Very professional 😁

The advice echoed by all 3 and the Deputy Head was to “put that phone away”; it is an official purpose-built time slurper, focus devourer and a procrastination gremlin.

I found this in action when I was studying over half term. When I was getting bored, a little out of steam or even waiting for something to load, I’d pick up my phone, see that there are no new notifications and put it back down. Repeat 10 minutes later.

However, when I was conscious enough to put in my bag nearby, under a couple of books, the frequency of ‘pickups’ shot downwards. I was much more focused and only looked at it at a more acceptable rate.

How is this different to the age-old joke of walking up to the fridge/cupboard looking for something to eat every 20 minutes, yearning for a distraction from working, only to find nothing new every time?

Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behaviour. Every habit is initiated by a cue and we are more likely to notice cues that stand out. - James Clear, author of Atomic Habits (featured in posts before - here and here)

Charlie Puth giving me clean teeth

Our environment causes us to act in subconscious and unintentional ways, oftentimes actions that we would rather avoid. Going on our phones because everyone else on the bus is, eating cookies on the table just because they are there and even yawning because the person opposite us just did: the objects and people around us are fundamental to our behaviour. What happens around us is heavily, often unbelievably, influential in the choices we make and the things we end up doing. We need to use this to our advantage.

• Get good people around you - there is a reason ambitious people often have an ambitious circle around them. You thrive off their desire and energy to keep going. This is why I find the study sessions at school very useful: they are a fantastic idea that encourages you to do some work (if you’re next to people doing the same).²

• Put away the cues to behaviours you want to eliminate 📵 - in today’s world, the obvious example is your phone magnetic distraction as-much-as-you-want buffet. But this could also be your TV remote, that bag of popcorn or even something that you fidget with or gets you thinking off track. “Out of sight, out of mind” is sadly true.

• Design your environment to your advantage - this particularly applies to habits. Most days, I have my water bottle on my table because I am notoriously bad at auto-drinking water. The classic example is gym clothes on your bedside ready to grab in the morning, but remember to organise your tech to suit your goals as well. (This may mean hiding away TikTok from your home screen. I know, controversial.)

We like to think of ourselves as omnipotent autonomous geniuses. But really, we are manipulated on a daily basis by the cunning items around us, luring us into their disastrous traps. We need to tackle this: be intentional and intelligent about what’s within your grasp. Control your environment, or it will control you.

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Book of the week 📖

I’ve finally found myself arriving at the meat of The Wealth of Nations, being stuck in the dense introduction at the start. The 18th century English is challenging but luckily it’s once again very wordy so lots of just zoom past.

Podcast of the week🎙️

Today in Focus: Can Twitter survive Elon Musk? (And can Musk survive Twitter?)

It’s been dominating the headlines for the past week. Here’s a very good analysis of whether it will all actually work out.

Article of the week 📰

Work Life Balance is Impossible

Work Life Balance is Impossible

I’ve recommended this to a couple of people - ingenious writing, illuminating a rather important point. Save yourself time chasing an unattainable goal by having a read.

Quote of the week 💬

Great changes may not happen right away, but with effort even the difficult may become easy. - Bill Blackman

Let’s hope for a successful week (starting with a Maths test tomorrow!)

Adi

1. I got home late from a weekend in Reading and then the restart of school swept me off my feet; I am sorry to have kept you waiting.

2. Personally, I sometimes also work well in situations where I am one of the few working e.g. on a Friday night when my sister is watching TV or during a digressive discussion in our Maths lessons. Maybe it’s my competitive side saying “Yes, I’m better than them because I’m working and they aren’t. I’m so disciplined, powerful and…great. Well done me, I’m proud of me.” Sounds like a weird narcissistic child.