Comments on: Micro habits, the little things we do every day

By: Christiaan

Christiaan — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:51:27 +0000

I think that depends on the habit you form. The habit of examining your habits and realizing that you are on auto pilot wouldn’t be a habit to break in this way. Habits certainly can be a good thing and some of them really are useful. As long as you know some things are done without thought that with some thought might be done differently and you explore these options every once in a while it’s perfectly okay to stir your coffee clockwise.

Just know those habits are there and tackle them every once in a while to jolt your brain. Maybe stir the coffee clockwise, but try and really feel the resistance of the sugar in the mug.

Get off autopilot and do things deliberately is the bottom line here.

Thanks for the question, I hope this answer satisfies it.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:08:27 +0000

Question. Once you teach yourself a new habit, are you not back where you started?

By: Ralph

Ralph — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:06:50 +0000

I don’t have any experience with autism and in my ignorance never really thought much about it. You comment gives me a better understanding and also more reason to fight the comfort.

By: Christiaan

Christiaan — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:55:59 +0000

It take a lot of time for a new body position to become a habit. The therapy I’m licensed to give people centers around teaching people new habits in moving. (Healthier ways to sit, walk, pick things up, dance….) For the body to fully adjust to the new habit (and getting all the muscles to the right length for the job) can take up to 6 months. That is, between 9 and 18 sessions with roughly one session a week followed by continued practice by the client at home without further intervention.

Most of the times the dominant side indeed is the favored side. The exceptions however are habits that have their roots in an old injury or pain, an unsymmetrical workplace or even something as simple as having the mouse of your pc on the right side of the keyboard while working on a table that is an inch to high. Resulting in constantly raising the right shoulder or leaning to the left in order to get your hand on the mouse.

Actually this makes me think: Don’t left and right handed people both have their computer mouse on the same side of the keyboard?

There are so many examples of where things can go wrong here, so many small things. Most of them are no problem at all. They only become a problem if the body starts protesting (=pain)

I hope to keep you thinking, and if you have any questions please do ask them.

By: Opinionated Ant

Opinionated Ant — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:28:59 +0000

Thank you Christiaan for making my brain check back in for a moment or two. As I started to read this post, of course I sat up straight, rolled back my shoulders and tried to stay aware of my body till the end of your post. It’s so easy to unplug while you’re doing daily activities, i.e. when you start falling asleep eating breakfast I think it’s a sign that you need more sleep or live more consciously (at least for me)! I’ll try that at tomorrow’s breakfast ;)

Does it seem that people tend to favor their dominant side when doing micro habits (that’s what I always assumed)?

Keep it up, always make me think.

By: Christiaan

Christiaan — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:38:47 +0000

Well said!

These habits are the things that keep us down. Eventually getting stuck in our ways. Our ways create our comfort zone indeed. (This becomes very clear when you work with someone who has a form of autism.)

Thanks for another insightful comment Ralph, I really appreciate you thinking with me here.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:32:55 +0000

And, of course, an even more important reason to change those habits is that they are the things that keep you mediocre. The creators of your comfort zone and the barriers to becoming all you have the potential to be.