The Tortoise's Treasure: Micro Habits for a Healthier, Happier You in 2024

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday season, and have a great start to 2024.

I’m Gareth Wong, and welcome to this year’s first #FixTheWorld or #GiveUp newelstter no. 43 on how to find your Tortoise’s treasure?

Do refer to others to this newsletter: FixTheWorld.4Good.Space

[or signup to the fixtheworld.gr8.pub (substack, which hopefully will have better SEO, as people cannot find my articles) and my medium posts (http://medium.wong.org.uk). ]

I wrote about how to “get Addicted to Good” last year.. not sure how successful you had been, personally I failed in becoming a pianist, but managed to do front splits at age of 54 (finally!).

So, like me, are you struggling with new year's resolutions again?

Turns out small, subtle steps focused on smartly create greater change than drastic overhauls. Here’s how...

TLDR: This post shares research-backed habits to help you build better health and happiness in 2024. Tiny gains made daily compound into big results over time. Focus on 1-2 new mini habits per month in areas like morning routines, sleep, nutrition, exercise, creativity, and gratitude.

Be the tortoise, not the hare!

Bullet Point Summary:

• Resist drastic changes and quick fixes - they rarely last. Make subtle but sustainable micro habits.

• Focus on 1-2 new mini habits per month. Compound tiny gains consistently.

• Establish a quick, uplifting morning routine.

• Walk more daily - outdoors restores mood and energy.

• Prioritize 7-8 hours of quality sleep nightly.

• Find forms of movement you enjoy and do 150 active minutes weekly.

• Upgrade nutrition gradually - more whole foods, veggies, protein, fiber.

• Inject more small pleasures and laughs into your day.

• Do mini self check-ins to refocus off stress when needed.

• Practice regular self care - do activities that nourish & challenge you.

• Develop a gratitude habit. Notice positives and blessings already present.

• Reframe struggles and cultivate optimism. Believe you can overcome.

• Foster social connections however fits your schedule - meals, calls, texts.

• Express yourself creatively each day. Boosts confidence and purpose.

• Work toward meaningful goals aligned with your values.

• Be fiercely protective of your energies when worn down. Radical self care.

Happy & Healthy 2024: Small Steps to Big Changes

A new year offers a fresh start and chance to reinvent ourselves. We feel inspired to finally tackle big goals on our someday/maybe list - get fit, eat healthier, advance our career, improve finances, cultivate new hobbies, organize and declutter, enrich spiritual growth, strengthen relationships, volunteer more, and simply be happier.

Our intentions are noble, but often by February or March, many have abandoned well-meaning resolutions and slipped back into old familiar ruts. Why does this happen despite high hopes when the year is new? There are several key reasons:

1. Vague resolutions are tough to put into consistent action. “Get fit” or “eat better” sound nice but lack a concrete plan.

2. Changing too much simultaneously feels overwhelming. When we inevitably stumble, we get discouraged and quit.

3. We attempt change through sheer willpower which is finite. When it runs out, so does follow-through.

4. We don’t prepare for setbacks that derail progress. Without planning for disruptions, we abandon ship.

5. We need accountability and celebration of small milestones which reinforce change.

6. Transformation is uncomfortable. Deep down we remain attached to the old familiar.

While changing ingrained habits is tough, it IS possible with the right mindset, tools and community. This year, instead of broad proclamations you'll break in months, start with subtle, sustainable micro-changes that set you up for success.

Science confirms that tiny gains made consistently over time compound into massive results. Learn from the Olympian's coach Sir Dave Brailsford who challenged his sky team to improve their times by just 1% daily. This seems tiny, but it adds up quickly:

1% better each day = dramatic gains over months and years.

Apply this 1% philosophy to your own goals. How might your health transform by walking just 1% further daily? How much wealth could you build saving an extra 1% of your income monthly? Small hinges swing big doors!

Rather than overhauling everything simultaneously with gung-ho enthusiasm, pick 1-2 micro habit changes per month in areas you want to improve.

Self challenge to learn, practice and do something difficult daily:

Daily practice could help create new habit for better health, or learning a new skills like Machine learning, AI ecosystem etc. that YOU can become a professor as the market is still developing.

Monthly goals are different for everyone, you could try:

Month 1 - Establish a quick, uplifting morning routine. Sun, Stretch, HIIT.

Month 2 - Walk outdoors 3x weekly for mental health boosts. Avoid, cut out Junks.

Month 3 - Upgrade your sleep hygiene for better rest. Measure KPI, like REMs, HRV etc.

Month 4 - Find forms of movement you enjoy and do 150 active minutes weekly. Fast walking/Jogging/windows shopping? Forest Walk?

Month 5 - Incorporate more Whole food: veggies, fruits and lean proteins into your diet. Ditch Fortified industrial compounds, Avoid addictive Ultra Process Food!

Month 6 - Practice mini self-check-ins and refocusing when stressed. (Meditation, Breathing, Cold shower, open water swimming)

Month 7 - Set aside time for self-care activities that nourish you. (Reading/Listening to book that challenges you & learn new ideas/skills)

Month 8 - Develop a gratitude habit of noticing positives around you. (selfie to pictures that give you joy: family, food, sceneries?)

Month 9 - Reframe struggles as opportunities to gain wisdom. or create your own struggle to learn new/difficult skills from piano to martial art.

Month 10 - Text friends weekly as social connection is key for wellbeing.

Month 11 - Explore your creative side through photography or cooking/baking.

Month 12 - Identify meaningful goals to actively work toward.

To help you start strong, here are some of the simplest yet most effective research-backed habits that can enhance your physical, mental and emotional health with small daily effort:

Physical Health Habits

1. Morning ritual - Start your day mindfully even with just 5 minutes of activities like hydrating, stretching, writing down gratitudes or meditating. A peaceful morning routine reduces stress, boosts mood and productivity all day.

2. Walk more - Aim for 10,000 steps and brainstorm small ways to incorporate more walking into your regular routine like walk meetings, taking stairs or pacing while on the phone. Moving your body naturally elevates mood and energy.

3. Prioritize sleep - Get 7-8 hours of quality sleep nightly. Keep a consistent schedule, limit evening blue light exposure, avoid late caffeine, and create an ideal restful environment. Restorative sleep enhances brain function, immunity, metabolism and mental health.

4. Find enjoyable movement - Explore fun options like dance, martial arts, hiking, sports leagues, paddleboarding, etc. Do 150 active minutes weekly of activities that energize you mentally and physically rather than dread.

5. Improve nutrition - Eat more whole foods, fruits, veggies, lean proteins and fiber. Meal plan, batch cook, keep cut produce handy for snacks and stock up on frozen items. Small gradual changes compound over time.

Mental Health Habits

1. Find daily joy - Deliberately interject little mood boosters into your day like listening to music, enjoying aromatherapy, looking at nature, laughing at funny videos or playing with a pet. These small pleasures lift your spirits significantly.

2. Do mini check-ins - Pause periodically to check in with your mental/emotional state. Refocus off toxic thoughts early before negativity escalates. Emotional checks only take a minute but work wonders.

3. Practice self care - Do calming activities that nourish you like baths, cooking, reading, art, gardening, religious services. When you’re centered, you have energy for life’s ups and downs.

4. Cultivate gratitude - Notice good things already present like loved ones, freedoms, opportunities, privileges. Keep a gratitude journal, send thank you notes, express compliments. This habit powerfully boosts happiness.

5. Reframe struggles - Train your brain to see obstacles as opportunities to gain wisdom if you adjust perspective, persevere and believe in your ability to overcome. Adopt an optimistic growth mindset.

6. Skip Junks - from Ultra processed food, negative social media news to adverts (most are junk, especially for supplements) and most if not all these personalities/thought leaders who are pushing junks. (if you still have to watch/listen to their content, learn it from TiVo days, fast forward!) = AVOID at all cost!

Emotional Health Habits

1. Foster connections - Bond with loved ones over meals, calls, videochats, texts, handwritten notes, shared activities, giving compliments etc. Humans thrive through meaningful social connection.

2. Express creativity - Explore creative outlets daily like photography, cooking/baking, gardening, dancing, writing, music, DIY projects. Creativity reduces anxiety/depression and builds confidence.

3. Pursue meaningful goals - Identify worthwhile aims across life domains to actively work toward such as career advancement, fitness, family bonds, travel, hobbies. Having purpose fuels happiness and satisfaction.

4. Practice radical self care - When depleted, be fiercely protective of your energies and time. Immerse yourself in soul-nourishing activities and eliminate obligations/noise. Revitalise your reserves.

The choice is yours! Implement just 1-2 micro-changes per month in any domains you want to improve.

With consistency, these small but powerful habits stack to dramatically transform your wellbeing over time. Gradual gains through tiny tweaks beats drastic overhauls that never last. Be the steadfast tortoise, not the bounding hare! Wishing you a healthy & happy 2024.

Do refer to others to this newsletter: FixTheWorld.4Good.Space

[or signup to the fixtheworld.gr8.pub (substack, which hopefully will have better SEO, as people cannot find my articles) and my medium posts (http://medium.wong.org.uk). ]

References:

How Walking Fosters Creativity: Stanford Researchers Confirm What Philosophers & Writers Have Always Known 2024 https://www.openculture.com/2024/01/how-walking-fosters-creativity-stanford-researchers-confirm-what-philosophers-writers-have-always-known.html

How 1% Performance Improvements Led to Olympic Gold https://hbr.org/2015/10/how-1-performance-improvements-led-to-olympic-gold

Stanford study finds walking improves creativity 2014 https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/

Olympic Secret to Growing Your Business by 37x this Year https://globalgrit.co/growth-by-marginal-gains2/

Health effects of vitamin and mineral supplements https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2511?ssp=1&darkschemeovr=1&setlang=en-GB&safesearch=moderate

Making health habitual: the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3505409/

Creating a habit, UK NHS adopting great insights from Charles Duhigg https://learninghub.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/guides/personal-team-resilience/steps/creating-a-habit/