I am in the final year of my 20s. As I leave this decade behind, I am extremely motivated by forming lasting habits that will help me sail into a successful 30s. So here’s a list of the top 5 things I will do in the next 21 days. I will (hopefully) follow up with another post on this to track what’s changed. But why the obsession with 21? 21 days is catchy, there’s a theory about how if you do something for 21 days you’ll do it for the rest of your life. I have tried it, but it doesn’t work. But here is a less intimidating way to look at 21 aka 3 weeks. It’s not too short like 10 days and is long enough to feel like I have hit the consistency path.
1. Less Screen More Movement Mornings
To really change my habits, I need better systems, not stringent rules. Drastic changes like setting my alarm for 5 am or telling myself that I will start working out for an hour each morning have not worked well. While in the past I managed to do it for a few days, I would quickly go back to old habits and even worse go extreme.
So this time, I will tell myself to get to bed around 10:30 pm, let my body naturally wake up without any alarms, and then quickly go out for a quick brisk walk or put on music to stretch out or better dance into the morning.
So in the next 21 days, starting from May 1st, 2023 I will abstain from phone/screen usage until 9 am and incorporate more physical activity.
2. Stop the Scroll
A while ago I created a survey on my Instagram channel to gauge interest in people reading blogs or watching reels. It was no surprise that folks picked reels. Duh! The question was asked on the GRAM, so there’s an inherent bias to this survey. Anywho, the point I am trying to get to is if something feels easy aka scrolling or munching a bag of chips, the greatness lies in resisting it. Why you may ask? If you have goals, you need discipline and willpower to follow through. And willpower is a muscle that needs to exercise self-restraint and work through hard tasks every day to get stronger.
This is where stopping content consumption and creating comes in – creating anything from scratch be it a dish, a painting, a blog, or a song needs lots of focus. And forcing yourself to create something will be energy-draining for sure, but will be super enriching to your soul and maybe the world.
So in the next 21 days, I will make sure to create more and consume less by posting 5 more blogs on this page.
3. Cut Carbs
Feeding off excess sugar, carbs, content, vanity, materialism and anything else is a quick way to dumb your cells (both brain and gut cells). I have embraced the keto and IF diet plan for a few weeks before and I felt nothing but amazing. I felt leaner, lighter, sharper, and smarter. There’s actual science-backed reasoning behind this. More on this later!
No kidding. But I quickly zipped into over-eating carbs and sugar. Why? Cause the “diet” felt constrained and restrictive. The age-old wisdom of incorporating a lifestyle change is the only way to go about this. Since I wanted quick gains to show off my results I felt the massive pressure on my shoulder at all times. This time I am telling myself that I am doing it for my long-term health.
In the next 21 days, I am not going to eat refined carbs or snack at odd times. More fat, more protein only at 2 specific times a day.
4. Observe & Reflect
When you sit with your thoughts and reflect on your past, your failures, and your high points, you will deduce patterns that help you understand yourself. Sometimes it will unlock your next level without having to go to coaching or therapy. Life is fleeting and if you don’t take control and steer your path, you will drift to nowhere or worse land in a place you wouldn’t want to be. This happened to me in my early twenties and a lot of reflection and travel made me take active control of my life. I still do find myself drifting at times but meditation and quiet moments jolt me back to reality.
So I am going to take at least 15 minutes each day to just sit and gather my thoughts. I plan to record some of them in a journal to see where it takes me.
5. Detox thyself & Surroundings
A messy bag is a messy desk, which makes a messy home and eventually a messy head. I strongly believe this one.
So in the next 21 days I am going to slowly elimate excess stuff starting from my kitchen and working my way through my closet. I will practice putting the coat back on the hanger and the toothpaste back in the holder. I will practice kindness whilst I do this! I am excited and rearing to go now!
To summarize my thoughts,
The “slow” life is not just a social media virality for me, it’s a life lived with intention. And that means doing the same things over and again with joyful patience. You need to clear out the noise to channel your innermost desires and realize those desires through action every single day.
In a world filled with cheap dopamine, you’re already doing better than most people if you keep the phone away for an hour, get some pre-9 am sunshine, abstain from sugar and excessive alcohol, and sweat it out regularly to get the endorphins kicking. I promise to be on that journey starting now … will you try?
Little wins 