From our habits big and small, our identities are made

Regardless of who you are and where you reside, it is our habits that define us as individuals and sets us apart from one another. A habit by definition from dictionary.com is a practice or tendency that is hard to give up. The reality is more severe than that, however, for a habit once formed CAN NEVER BE ERASED. The truth is quite abundant in the millions of people who relapse while trying to quit smoking, gambling, drinking, and pornography. If not careful, a bad habit will follow you to your grave. The only way to quelch such bad habits is to suppress them with the formation of good habits in its place.

Habits good or bad all start small and inconsequential until it grows to a certain point, defining our character. It is through the exercise of these small and seemingly mundane habits, we may equip ourselves for either failure or success. Therefore, the formation of good habits is a fundamental requirement for obtaining a more fulfilling and rewarding life. Such is the importance of developing good habits over hindering ones.

Like a well-oiled machine

Our minds, much like a piece of intricate machinery, requires us to maintain and care for it to keep it sharp and in optimum condition. To function like a piece of well-oiled machinery, our brains require the right formula for it to function at top performance. This formula is none other than a good balance of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Additionally, there is no doubt in my mind in order to keep our wits sharp, we must exercise it regularly through the pursuit of knowledge. The best-known way to keep a mind engaged is through reading regularly.
In order to actualize our full potential, we must first rewire our brains in a similar fashion we would overclock a PC or fine-tune a car. The procedure is a delicate one and will require someone with the right expertise, knowledge, and finesse to accomplish. In other words, only someone with a clear end goal in mind (knows exactly what they want out of life) will be able to do it. Any slight deviation in the process may result in a relapse into bad habits. With this in mind, when developing a daily routine, use the correct formula mentioned above to properly overclock your mind.

Repetition is key

Thankfully it isn’t required of us to understand the inner workings of our minds to have mastery over our thoughts and resulting behaviors. We simply need to understand how habits and behaviors are formed in order to tweak our fates; Understand that the formula to successfully build a good habit is through the use of repetition. More importantly, we need to have enough conviction to break old habits and see to the growth of new habits through the end. Your task isn’t complete until a conscious effort is no longer required and your mind can effortlessly follow the proper tracks you’ve laid towards success. Much like muscle memory, the more you practice good habits, the more it will become second nature.

Defeat bad habits with style!

The experiment

It is my firm belief that a good daily routine is fundamental to an individual’s success and is directly proportionate to one’s accomplishments in their life. To demonstrate my point, I've decided to share my daily routine which I started a month ago. After the only first month, an overall improvement in my mood, focus, and energy level is noticeable.

Morning routine
7:55 am: wake up and make my bed
7:57 am: start daily mediation for 10mins (Still a beginner. Will increase the time when I feel ready)
8:10 am: boil an egg and take my supplement (fish oil)
8:11 am: brush my teeth and wash my face
8:15 am: check and reply emails
8:30 am: prepare a light breakfast consisting of a small bread, a boiled egg, some fruits and green tea (doesn't really matter what you eat as long as it's not loaded with sugar)
8:45 am: watch YouTube for some educational entertainment while eating breakfast. (I managed to learn some basic Japanese in a month including how to say the time and date)
9:00 am: get changed and ready for work
9:10 am: leave the house

Night-time routine
6:00 pm: arrive home, prep ingredients for dinner (Soak the veggies and start rice cooker if having rice)
6:10 pm: do 20 push-ups and 1min plank. take my supplement (Fish oil) and hit the shower
6:30 pm: start cooking dinner
7:00 pm: eat dinner while watching tv (This is my time to relax and unwind)
8:00 pm: clean the dishes, take out the trash
8:30 pm: play video games (My self-motivational reward for doing chores. Currently playing the Witcher 3)
10:00 pm: brush my teeth
10:15 pm: read 30~45mins before bed
10:45~ 11:00pm: sleep

*During warmer months from April to Sept, I will incorporate a 10min morning cold showers into my daily routine. It will require me to wake up 10mins earlier.

Some notable improvements after the first month are:
Improved levels of concentration and memory thus able to get things done faster.
Improved confidence and overall wellbeing.
Less anxious throughout the day and better sleep.

If anyone has a good routine they’d like to share for the encouragement of others, feel free to share in the comments below.