The Amazing hidden benefits of starting a new habit

On June 1st 2024 I challenged myself to:

  1. never touch a single drop of alcohol ever again (wine, beer, anything)
  2. publish a thread every single day on Twitter and other platforms

It has been 103 days for number 1 and 85 days for number 2.

The results are NOT obvious…

1: The obvious ones

Well, of course some results are obvious:

  1. better mental and physical health
  2. more clarity

But my journal, which I use daily, says more…

2: My temptations VS…

I used to fall in temptation every time I go buy groceries. Wine and pizza are my vice (yes, very stereotypical for an Italian). Plus, living in Franciacorta, I can buy high quality wine at a very low price.

But here’s the thing…

2: …my Willpower

After 103 days going alcohol-free, if I see an offer on good wine, I can easily ignore it. The same goes for pizza cuts and other food-related vices. It used to be harder for me to say no.

But now, it’s second nature

3: Getting new habits is easier

James Clear in his book “Atomic Habits” talks about habit stacking. Simply put, you create an habit and you stack a second habit on top of the first. After 66 days of publishing on Twitter, I added 15 minutes rope skipping routine to do before I start writing.

This addition is proving completely effortless.

4: More things done

I’ve noticed a big increase in my productivity. Without changing my time/energy management or using some new organization strategy.

I can simply produce more in less time

5: Better quality in my work

After 17 years in my field, I rarely see an improvement so fast and big in my work quality.

Mind and body are truly connected, and this is another proof.

6: Feels like a new beginning

My life is, overall, similar to 3 months ago. Almost same line of work, social circle and network. But everything I do feels like a new chapter of my life.

And that feels awesome!

 

September 12, 2024