habits

The longer I’ve practiced a habit, the easier it is for me to stick with it. Conversely, the newer the habit the more likely I am to toss it to the wayside. This dynamic becomes very clear when I switch environments and am confronted with new routines and external pressures.

For example, I’ve been eating Paleo-ish for 7+ years (on and off) so food selection has become second nature to me, and if I do fall off the wagon it is very easy for me to hop back on. On the other hand, I’ve only begun to attempt “deep work” blocks (where I shut my phone off and commit to ~1.5 hours of focusing on a given task) in the past 5ish months, and I haven’t completed a single high quality deep work block since leaving NYC.

The Lindy Effect is real.