I spent Q4 of 2021 thinking about what I want to do differently. Historically I’ve set goals, but I always thought something was missing. You can do everything that’s in your control and still not achieve a goal. I never liked that, and I decided to focus on habits and systems in 2022. I read Atomic Habits and crystallized the habits I want to have that align with my identity.

I began implementing my new habits at the beginning of the new year. It was harder than I expected. I struggled to be consistent with all my new habits, and as I did, I realized that I need to simplify and focus on the one habit that will up the likelihood of my sticking to all my habits. So I did—and it’s been a game changer.

I’m now measuring one action every day. I have data for only a few weeks, but it’s clear. When I do this one thing that I want to be a habit, my days are much more productive and balanced and I get the outcomes I want. When I don’t, I’m far less productive, I’m reactive, and I don’t get the outcomes I want. This habit has such a big impact on my day that I consider it a foundational habit.

Figuring this out has changed my thinking about habits. Maintaining them felt like tons of work, and I wasn’t sure I could do it. Amazingly, it now feels like an easy life that I can maintain. I’m still doing the same things—it’s just how I think about them and what I focus on that changed. Glad I figured this out!