Today I was going through my RSS reader and in the LifeHacker section I found an article from three days ago. Following the link in the article - and then the link to the original article - I found myself reading something very relevant to me; About not breaking habits.

In the article the author, Gretchen Rubin, presented the 'argument of the growing heap' and connected it with habits such as going to the gym. The argument or paradox of the heap (also known as Sorites paradox) is as such:

• If you have a heap of sand and remove one grain, removing one grain will not make it an non-heap.

With this logic it would be possible to keep removing a grain of sand and you would end up with one grain of sand being a heap by it self due to the argument in the above sentence. However removing a grain of sand does make a change. It is not an irrelevant action.

The article applies this thinking to habits, good and bad. If you want to be healthier you might plan to go to the gym, or if you want to save money you might start rethinking your impulse purchases. You might end up thinking as I have done many times before;

• "Not going to the gym today won't make a difference."
• "Drinking this one coke won't make a difference."
• "Spending money on this won't make a difference."

But it will make a difference. "This one time" of breaking your habit might not be what keeps you from reaching your goal for weight loss or saving money or whatever you want to do, but it will take you out of your habit. The habit of doing something (or not doing it) is very important when you want to reach a goal. It's about getting one step closer.

I have some very bad habits that I would like to get rid of and replace them with some habits that are better for me. But way to often I disregard them for different reasons. I need to keep this paradox in mind and make each decision, however small, count for more than it does now.

Just to make a reminder for myself I would like to end this post with a few things I would like to change in my life.

I would like to...

1. get healthier, by exercising regularly and cut down on sugar and fat.
2. get better at seeing my friends on a regular basis.
3. get better at reading a book before I go to bed instead of watching TV.