Habit Challenge

I read that a habit is formed in 30 days. That seemed simple! I tired it a couple of times throughout my studies. Personally, I lack the discipline to make it stick as a habit. Nevertheless, there were successful moments.

In the past, instead of 30 days, I would add in a routine every semester. For instance, I would read through my lecture slides before the start of my lectures to have a better idea of the upcoming lecture. It helped because I was able to take notes only on the information that were not in the slides. It saved time. Plus, I was able to concentrate on the ideas rather than the details.

In the next semester, I added an additional step. To completely understand my notes before I attempted my tutorial questions. I would sit through a round of the recorded lecture to ensure I ironed out all confusion. In most cases, if there were still ambiguity, the internet and the recommended textbooks are the best source of answers.

You get the gist. That was during my studies. Alhamdulillah (Glory and Praise be upon Allah), I graduated.



The idea of this 'habit challenge' is taking small consistent baby steps. Everyone of us know ourselves better - our limits to change, our discipline threshold, our goals we wished to achieve, etc. This means I have to set my 'challenge' for myself!

Unconsciously, I was following these steps:

1. Set a goal (its progress has to be traceable). 
2. State the steps (your action) to achieve the goal. 
3. Set a reward upon the completion of each action. 

For example,

Goal:           Increase my grades in the new semester

Action:        Make a condensed notes for each chapter before the final exam

Reward:      An episode of a Korean drama

Discipline matters in implementing the reward system. Never stray from it. Reward yourself only after the action is done. It gets easier as time passed and a HABIT is BORN! ^_^ Congratulations.