S01E05 – Why Habits & The Easy Way to Start One

Episode Five. Welcome to the Muslim life hackers podcast, the weekly podcast providing you with tips and tricks on how to hack your life and maximize its potential. And now for your hosts Mithra maroof and Mahima lake.

As we said, the crisis see that so much Assalamu alaikum Muslim life hackers, this is Mohit Malik here and in today's episode, my co host, Miss Ferrara will be talking all about habits and the easy way on how to implement them in your life. All the links and resources mentioned in this episode can be found in our show notes at Muslim life hackers.com forward slash five, that's number five. All right, let's get started. Mithra. Why habits, okay, so habits are one of the things that helps us get to our goals, right? Whenever we want to make change in our lives, we actually look towards the goal. So for example, we would look at someone save saving want to lose weight, we look at someone

it's like, oh, they lost 20 kilos in three months, or someone was like they were praying all night, or they finished one whole karate in a day. And then you get so inspired by that. So you try to do that, try to do that. And then you know, eventually you're like, I don't know about this whole

idea, I can't do this anymore. See, so you just let go of it. The thing with the great goal, it was it was it had good intentions to start off with no doubt. But what happened was that the end result had to get there, it doesn't just take one day to get it rather, it consists of daily habits in order to get there, because who you are today is a result of your daily habits. And also the health of that you have today is a result of your daily habits. So if you're a person that was in a habit of eating, well exercising and having a more active lifestyle, then you would naturally be someone who would have a healthy eating habit. Yeah. And you'd actually be much more healthy than a person

who didn't have these things. The thing that habits help you do is that through having habits, you can be able to get to these big goals. So the thing that I was mentioning about reading core, and in the whole day, yeah, if if a person were to do it slowly and was starting slow, and then they came to that stage in which they can do the whole thing, then that big goal will be reached. But the thing to keep in mind is that habits help you create. And either as she helps you create the change that you want in your life. So that's why the focus that I wanted to give in today's podcast was about habits. Yeah. I also the problem with many of our goals is that we expect immediate change.

Yeah, what we need to realize is habits take a while to take a while to like bring about that change. Like for example, when lose that 20 kilos. It's not gonna happen overnight. I'm just slowly changing habits. Yeah. Okay. So we've been speaking about habits, habits, habits, but what are habits, okay, so habits are a routine of behavior that are repeated regularly and happen subconsciously, a habit consists of three parts, there is the trigger. And there is the routine, and there is a reward, right? For example, your phone rings, and so it buzzes. So you drop everything you leave to the phone, you might jump over a few furniture and kick this adapter.

And then you grab your phone, and you might hit reply back on the way. And then you realize, what did I do when you look back and you see the whole lounge room like my dad because of your whole struggle to get there. And you see, this is an example of a habit in action. A very well developed, I'm guilty

of it's on my bedside table. And I've done like a somersault kind of like rolls over, fell off the bed. Yeah. And I think it's been it's a great example of a habit. So what just happened then? Is the phone bust the routine was the I'm sorry, the trigger? Yes. When was the trigger? Your friend was sure. Yeah. And that triggered our subconscious. And then the routine was what we did. So it automatically went out. When we heard that our body came into action. So it started saying, Okay, it's time to pick up the phone started going there. Because it was hoping for that reward. And the reward was to be able to say hello, or to say, reply back to that WhatsApp message and see what's

happening on Snapchat. Yeah, so that was the reward from so it also explained, for example, when people wake up in the morning, they get in the car, and they're at their desk at work, and they don't remember what happened in between because it all happen automatically. And that's also another reason why people are late, because they just don't know why they like late because what just happened there is there are some habits that happen there that causes a person to be late every single time they just don't realize it they realize it. So there is a good and bad habit right? The The good thing that the good thing about having habits in your life is I used to make change in your

life without consciously putting in the effort. So for example, that was the the habit that I mentioned earlier about eating well, becoming a more healthy person, or that habit can have a bad effect as well. So you can have a bad

habit of maybe being late to everything. Yeah, they can work for good and bad. But the good news is that you can change them. Yes.

Okay, next thing I guess we all want to know is how can you implement a new habit, there are different ways in which we can implement a habit, right. But in today's podcast, I'm going to explain to you an easy way to implement a habit, because easy ways are the ones we always look for. So, yeah, so the way you should do it is four steps, right. So the first thing you do is pick a habit. So pick whatever you want. And then the second thing is, you will shrink this habit that you put this habit through an imaginary shrinking machine. Now, the habit becomes so fast, small and easy that you cannot miss it. Don't worry, I'll I'll give an example later on. But I just want to

explain like the steps. So the first one was pick a habit, shrink the habit. And then third thing is add this habit into an existing routine or event. So it can act as a trigger, it can be a current behavior, for example, something that you do without fail every day, like you wake up every day in the morning, or it can be like an event. So for example, when your phone buzzes, that's an event that happens or it can also be in physical objects every time you see something that triggers a response in your body to do something. Okay, so you would add this tiny habit into your existing routine or event to create a trigger. And the fourth thing is you practice it, and you celebrate it.

So when I mean, celebrate, you actually say yes. And you give that like, you see, you see when you play like this video games. Mario, how you win something, and he does like a little dance. Yeah, yes. It's like, you actually celebrate your little win.

Yeah, so um, and the reason I say this is, this is really important, because what happens is, you train your body, you train your mind to actually know that there is a reward at the end of this. And even if it's something something like just say Hooray, or just a gift and giving, giving yourself that permission to celebrate, okay, so these, these are the four steps, okay, so it was pick a habit, shrink it, add it to an existing routine, practice and celebrate. Okay, all right, so these four steps are all well and good. But what keeps like, shouldn't machine? How do we do this? What's the science behind, you know, creating these new habits? Okay, so the reason why I gave this answer

shala, the shrink machine comes alive one day,

with my mind. Okay, so explain the science behind this. So these steps actually recognizes that motivation is not enough. And the thing is that it's not about self control, because I know that sometimes we'd be like, Well, you know, if this, if this really mattered to me, then I wouldn't be going like really matter to me to lose weight, then I won't be always go for the cheap sword, like fast food and stuff. But it's not always about self control, big behavior changes requires big motivation. But the problem is that big motivation, high motivation is not always consistent. So there'll be days in which you'll do it. And other days, you might just be feeling down and you're

like, Uh, huh. I don't feel like doing anything. So. And that's what we have to realize. Because we have to be realistic with ourselves, we have to realize the world for what it is and our lives for what it is not what we you know, what we think it is not delusional, yet, because by being realistic in our behaviors and our changes, then we can be able to, you know, make some solid changes, but it's, it's not to say, Be realistic in your goals and downplay your life. No, that's that that's actually totally different. Because when we set goals, we set them high. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so now the next thing that we need to keep in mind is that looking for an action doesn't require

motivation. That's why that's, that's when the whole small habits come in, right? We look for something that's really small, that generally doesn't require any motivation, because the aim here is to create a behavior, because once you do, you can increase it slowly without feeling overwhelmed. So a small behavior requires little motivation. Because it's so easy that it's silly not to do it. Yeah. So it also acknowledges these steps that ignore it acknowledges that when we first began to walk, we didn't just walk, we rolled, we crawled, we stood up holding objects, then we started to walk. And this approach to developing habits actually reminds me about something in

our religion in which it says that the type of actions that are best now religion, aren't the ones that are that are big and happen here and there, rather than the ones that are small get consistent, because the $20,000 check that you get off to the mosque, but it's like this maybe this morning, that was that you see every single day. Yeah. So something that's small and consistent, because when you realize when you actually think about the benefit to that is when you have something that's small and consistent, it won't help you to grow. Okay. Okay, so to give some examples of that, so, alright, just example. So yeah, just to make it clear to us, and now you've got all the theory out

of the way. Now for the real stuff, right? You can say

So examples, okay, so if someone has a goal, I want to recite the Quran every single day, okay. Okay. So what we would do is we pick the habit. So what I want to do

read a page daily, right? Yeah. And I'm a person, for example, that doesn't read at all, but I do know how to read. I just don't get to read at all like these, like probably now and they may be during Ramadan or something like that. So, okay, so I'm going to tell myself, I'm going to read a page daily, right? And then I would put that habit through the shrinking machine, right, okay. Potentially pretended before marriage.

Okay, so we put it through this drinking machine. So we'll say to ourselves, I'm going to read one verse. And now the next thing we're going to do is added it to an existing routine event or an item which can act as a trigger, right? For example, you can tell yourself, after I pray my daily fudger prayer in the morning, I'll recite one verse of the Quran, just one verse, okay. And then you practice it to the next day you wake up, you practice it, and then you celebrate, you get up and you're like, Yes, I do. Okay, great. Yeah. So we've picked a habit read a page of we went to read a page of kurama de shrunk it down to one verse. Yeah. And then with adding it to an existing routine,

like the morning daily prayer, and the practice and celebrate Yeah, awesome. So what about, for example, if I want to become a better writer, how do I how do I do that? Okay, so you pick a habit, you want to write 1000 words daily, that's actually a great way to get some good content and start writing. But everything starts small, we're going to we're going to be easy, right? They keep it easy. Keep it simple. So we're going to put this through the thinking machines. And what comes up one sentence is easy. One sentence. So it's so easy, you'd be silly not to work. So you can add this into a decent word, something which will be a trigger your act as a trigger. So you tell yourself,

after I prepare my morning coffee, I'll write one sentence. Okay. Just wanted to so yeah, like you were mentioning in your morning podcast, how you would wake up in the morning and just start getting out. you'd start drinking coffee. Yeah. So in that routine that you have right now, since it's something that happens constant, you can just say, Okay, I'm also going to write one sentence after I have my coffee. You practice it, you celebrate it?

Okay, so we have two examples. Let's give one more to Africa out there. One, that's really I know, it's on a lot of people's goal list is being more healthy and fit. Yeah. And I think this is something that's very important because what what happens is that we, we find ourselves in indulging in this very unhealthy lifestyle, and then we, you know, we stand up on the weight, and we see that we gained so much weight, then we start having to go to boot camps and all these things. But this is torture. I actually got a WhatsApp message yesterday, and it was a friend of mine. And she's like, I'm starting this new boot camp, I'm gonna sign you off. I'm like, no way.

It's because it's like that whole, you know, we have to change it because we went if we looked at ourselves, and we're actually conscious about ourselves in such drastic measures.

That you know what, firstly, the whole cat just.

Yeah, so, but not to say I'm judging anyone who goes to be

gay, why? My hat's off.

Okay, so for those that are not Bootcamp, people, how do we become more healthy and fit, okay, so whether every single person needs to aspire to have a healthy lifestyle, every single person needs to have a healthy, healthy lifestyle, because your body is thing that actually takes you and helps you throughout your life. And if and if your body isn't in good shape, then you ain't, you know, it'd be very hard for us, everything else suffers. And I know that in Islam, we're taught that our body has rights as well. Yeah, buddy has right to arrest because you ever wondered in in our religion, like how we seen in the past health is like scholars is pious treatises, and they were

able to pray all night, and they were able to do really incredible, incredible acts of worship. And really what what helps them do the acts of worship their body, and their body has to be quite fit in order to do that. Think about it. I mean, if it was eating all this junk food on it, and it was like really weak. I don't know if we can stand up for that long unless we we are able to see a photo past munching on Doritos. So yeah, tell us how to get more fit and healthy. Give us an example. So for example, do you want to pick a habit you want to go out for a one hour morning walk? Okay, right. And you know, every single person has a different way on how to exercise. So this is just an example

go out for one hour morning pops, right? So you shrink it. So you tell yourself I'm gonna walk up the street there to that house and walk back a few minutes. So quick that I can do it again. So I'm going to add this into a existing routine, event or item right. So for example, I give you an example of an item. So it's a trigger, it acts as a trigger. So the night before, I'm going to put out my sports shoes and other gear right next to my bed sight. And so that when I wake up and I see it, I'll be reminded of the habit that follows

All right. So when you see that in front of you be like, Okay, um, I have to get I have to go from a box. Because eventually, as you train your, as you train your mind to do that, every time it sees it, you will associate it with exercise. Okay? And so you'll be reminded the habit that follows. You practice it. Yeah, this is a part we have to push yourself because actually, you don't need to push yourself because it's so easy that it's silly not to do it, you do it and you celebrate. And one thing that I was thinking about the other day was, I was thinking how when when people go to gyms, right? Why is it that they're able to go there? And you know, getting to such? They're, they're

produced so much workout exercise and really be able to get fit there? Yeah. And then come home, again, to the same kind of fitness. Yeah, because I'm in the same thing. So what are your thoughts? My my thought was that just just the very thing about seeing other people exercise, seeing like that fitness equipment in front of you, your brain just has an association that I want to get at thing exercise, because it just raised that reward of feeling you know that you see how straight after you exercise, you feel a sense of accomplishment, that endorphin rush? Yeah. So I think that can explain one of one of the reasons why you can get so much things done when you go to a gym. Yeah, food for

thought. Alright, so I guess the question that's on my mind is, how do we know that? When How can we increase the small, like shrink tablets? When when do we know that we can make it? For example, we want to do out one morning, one hour walk? How do we know when to increase it from that walking up? And when to start walking to the next street? Yeah, when to go off to the next house? Okay, well, the thing is, this is the power when you feel honest with yourself, right? Because I know that sometimes when you're out, then you will stop saying, Okay, look, I do want to go further, like you naturally feel motivated. So you want to do what I can to kind of know when you can do a little bit

more. Yeah. And if it's like within a few days, you can go more than by all means go more. And then try it the next day and try it. Try the next day, keep pushing yourself and increasing it to a way that it's easy for you that it requires little motivation to do it again. Okay, great. All right. So just those steps again, so there's steps again, in order to implement it. The first one is to pick a habit to shrink the habit. Remember the shrinking machine and add this habit into your existing routine event or associate an item with this. Okay, that can remind you to act as a trigger. And the fourth thing is practice and celebrate, celebrate, celebrate. What's your action step for this

podcast? Okay, so I want you to the Muslim life hacker that's listening to this podcast right now, I want you to pick three small habits that you want to commit to, I want you to write it down and stick it somewhere that you can see, and let us know in our show notes in the comments area of our show notes. And to get you started off, myself and mahina are going to share one of the habits that we're going to start taking on so maheen what was yours the small habit that you going to be taking on I think that what I'm going to do is I'm actually going to I'm motivated by this whole one hour walk things I can do them every morning, I'm going to go for a small, I can't Yeah, I'll have my

exercise equipment, my shoes and everything right next to my bed so it won't jump out. That's gonna be my trigger. I'm gonna do a quick walk up the street. So I'm commuting guys. Okay, okay, that's, that's excellent. I'm actually gonna write it write it down as well, because I think one of the things that are really important is because this habit is so easy to do, it's not about doing it, sometimes we forget we've committed to it. So writing it down is very important and sticking it up. Okay, we'll do so one of the things that I want to do was that I found that every time I pick up my phone, I might just, I might just go check my email straight away, right. And I, I believe that this

is a habit of mine. And this is something I want to change. So I want to make it that every time I open up my phone, instead of just going checking my emails that and this or when I'm just opening up my phone, not because often no notification came up, it's just I'm just opening it for any reason. What I want to do is train myself to open up my flashcards application which is a flashcard application that helps me because I'm learning Arabic at the moment and I just want to practice my words. So every time I'm just like looking at my phone and I want to click on that you do get you do a few flashcards and and that will in turn help me with what I'm trying to accomplish credit for. So

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