No Limits: The Art and Science of High Performance

by Mukesh Bansal

Are all habits created equal? How many habits determine what happens in our daily lives? Well, each of us may have dozens of major habits and hundreds of smaller ones that we may not even be consciously aware of like biting nails or fidgeting with a pen in a meeting. Even though all these habits matter to some extent, and with deliberate focus you can alter almost any habit, what really matters is a keystone habit. Keystone habits are those that have a ripple effect on other habits and pretty much dictate your day. For a college student, a keystone habit might be waking up early in the morning. If they get up late habitually, they end up missing their morning classes, which might lead to feelings of guilt, lower grades and a reduction in self-esteem, reinforcing the self-image of being a bad student, a cycle that keeps repeating each semester. If only this student could get into the habit of waking up an hour before the first class, the entire cycle could be reversed. Another example of a keystone habit is a morning workout. Most people who start their day with a workout or a morning walk feel very positive and upbeat about the day and nothing can bring them down. Not willing to undo the work done in the morning, they are a lot more reluctant about eating anything unhealthy during the day, and each positive choice further strengthens their resolve.