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What to Do When Your Habits No Longer Serve You
There’s danger in not updating your life systems
John Dryden, the 17th-century English poet, once said, “We first make our habits, then our habits make us.”
The statement is a powerful one. Once an action becomes a habit — whether it’s writing in your journal each morning, taking a walk at the same time every afternoon, or reading a book before bed — the habit starts working for you. It’s something you know to do almost instinctively.
But Dryden’s quote also warns us about the potential danger of habits. This mental ease can have a downside: When our habits “make” us, it means our habits are in control. The only thing that’s certain in life is change. Circumstances change. Relationships change. We change. That means it’s quite possible that the habits you once built into your life will, at some point, no longer serve you.
I try to regularly check in with myself about whether my habits are bringing me closer to my current goals or halting my growth. Here are a few examples of what that looks like, and what it means to adjust the systems you build into your life.
A few years ago, I started a daily running habit. After a few months, I found myself in a good routine: Running was getting mentally and physically easier, and I noticed I…
