When you don't have to make a choice
#108 - save the uphill climb for your workout
Hi there,
It’s been a pretty normal week, nothing outstanding, nothing terrible. I’ve enjoyed getting back into the classroom - learning new content does feel a bit weird now after all the revision - as well as my school captain tasks.
And now for half term, 7 days of peace and the time to do whatever I want to. As I’ve found today, that doesn’t have to be buckets of work, if you don’t feel like it. A teacher put it when asked for advice: “this is the last real chance to rest, so do so”. No rest for the blogwriter though 💪
Highlight of the week: my Saturday afternoon. After grinding through an hour of STEP questions, I feasted on tasty chicken biryani prepared by Mum and then spent the next 2.5 hours on a call with a friend discussing all things STEP (the Maths entrance exam in case you missed last week).
In economics, we talk about “opportunity cost”, what you’re giving up when you make a choice. A simple example is foregoing buying a new car if you put up a deposit for a new house. It relates to this idea that everything is scarce so you need to decide between 2 (or more) options and inevitably give something up, a concept referenced in last week’s post.
Around this time last week, I had a choice to make, as I have many times before.
I found out from our President of the School Council that their meeting on Monday would be about the character and extra-curricular awards at the school, one of which is the “Integrity Award”, an initiative we’ve implemented this year. I haven’t done enough to promote it and kickstart people into doing it, so this would have been a great chance to answer questions and create interest.
However, Mondays are the one day I can leave school early because I don’t have a lesson during Period 5. I’ve been using that time to go to the nearby gym, since it’s a little quieter. With mocks, I was erratic in January, so wanted to get back into a routine and missing Monday would’ve defeated the purpose, especially when will is greatest at the start of the week.
A tough choice to make. I ended up doing both, as the title suggests. I went by “going to the gym, even if it’s just for 2:15 to 3, less than usual, is better than not” - something is better than nothing. Keeping the habit alive is much more important than how long you spend there. It is about strengthening the commitment you have to yourself and teaching your lazy self that your more disciplined self is more powerful.
Isn't something better than nothing?
It reminds me of the Two-Minute Rule mentioned in James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
“The point is to master the habit of showing up. A habit must be established before it can be improved. If you can’t learn the basic skill of showing up, then you have little hope of mastering the finer details. Do the easy thing on a more consistent basis than the perfect habit from the start.
As we've explored before (I’m on fire with these links today), it is important to create the identity of “I am someone who cares about my health” to establish the habit. And turning up “reinforces the identity you want to build. Even if it’s just for two minutes, you are casting votes for your new identity”
In the end, I only spent half an hour at the gym, but I still managed to get back for the meeting (forgetting my water bottle there 🤦♂️) and really enjoyed the meeting. Moreover, I finished the day knowing that I’d done the right thing by doing both.
Matt D’Avella on YouTube talks about a ‘Two Day Rule’ that has transformed his physical health. He mentions the necessity of rules because “if we never set rules for ourselves, we’re simply letting our current feelings, desires and mood move our path out of alignment.” Fighting against resistance, one of the most destructive forces on Earth, is done by consistency. Rules actually create freedom, because they mean you get stuff done when they need to be, or you look after yourself now, so you’re free to do things that you want to later.
Similarly, on Saturday morning, I had the choice to persuade myself to go to the gym. There was the balance between “you’ve got to keep your streak of 3, you can’t go tomorrow because of xyz” vs “it’s the first day of half term, just let me chill”. However, if it is part of your routine, if it’s part of your own identity, to be someone who takes their health seriously, it isn’t a choice to be made. You just do it, because that’s who you are. It’s taking the choice out of your hand.
There is the effect of self-accountability and pride, knowing that you will feel rotten if you miss it. Similar thing with this very blog post: I started a bit low-energy, not in the mood to dish out any wisdom or pen some useful thoughts. But here we are, now 30 minutes in, and (I think) this is something worth reading.
With this blog though, there is also the case of public accountability and not wanting there to be a gap of 2 weeks between posts. It is almost hacking yourself to use the fact we naturally care about other’s opinions to your advantage.
The points that need to be made have been made. When building a habit, you should remove the need for choice. If something comes in the way, try to avoid it becoming an “either or” situation, but can you do both and not choose? Secondly, when you’re debating whether to complete another iteration of the habit, it should be part of your identity, not something you choose whether or not you follow up on.
Book of the week 📖
Holidays = time to make space for books. I’ve started one that caught my eye in a shop many moons ago - How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. 30 pages in, it’s an original story alright, keen to see where it goes.
Podcast of the week 🎙️
On Purpose with Jay Shetty: James Corden ON How to Know When the Tiem is Right to Let Go
Loved James Corden’s late night show when it was on so it was great to hear some of his reflection from it. His thoughts on how success should be treated were refreshing.
Thing I’m grateful for this week 🙏
The man at the cinema this afternoon who was happy to switch our tickets, since we’d accidentally booked the 11:55 PM showing, thinking it was the other one. We had to switch films, but it was certainly better than going home without watching a film.
Quote of the week 💬
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has - Epictetus
I hope you take good rest if you’ve got half term break this week - a chance to renew/recharge your resolutions, perhaps with some thought to consistency and simplicity?
Adi