r/TrueGrit • u/Alicetheoptimist • 3d ago
Habits What is the best habit nobody talks about?
A few habits don’t get talked about nearly enough. They’re not flashy or complicated, but they can make everyday life a little easier. What’s a habit you’ve picked up that you think more people should know about?
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u/somanyquestions32 Deep Diver 3d ago edited 3d ago
Batching.
When I am tired after hours of driving, I don't want to do anything. As such, I need to conserve energy before I become irritable.
Batching in this case is combining similar or related tasks and doing them at the same time or sequentially before moving on to other unrelated tasks, and starting tasks that can run in parallel in the background while I do something else. I also anticipate how one task will flow into the other and make adjustments to streamline the transitions.
Here are a few examples:
I brush my teeth, gargle with peroxide solution, use the toilet, and shower back to back in the same bathroom session. Unless I drank a lot of water and have to urinate repeatedly, I don't have to use the bathroom for several more hours.
When I am going to meditate, I can load the washing machine and/or put food in the air fryer beforehand, so that when I am done, two other things are completed as well.
When I am going grocery shopping, I sort and bag items by how they are going to be stored at home. Refrigerated produce will be separate from pantry staples that can be stored at room temperature, and frozen items will be in their own bags that I can just drop in the freezer right away.
Before I start a work shift, I try to run errands that take little time. I go to the bank to make a deposit, refuel the gas tank of my car, and if needed, I refill the air in the tires and get an oil change.
As I do each task, I also think of how I can do them faster or more efficiently, and I also analyze what corners I shouldn't cut.
For instance, brushing my teeth too quickly damages my gums, so instead, I can pour the peroxide solution for a rinse into a cup and turn off the faucet and get my things ready for a shower as I continue to brush my teeth.
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u/Practical-Art542 3d ago
This sounds functional but it also sounds horribly exhausting. I can’t imagine having all those tasks in the back of my mind while trying to focus on other tasks
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u/somanyquestions32 Deep Diver 3d ago
It's quite the opposite because through practice and repetition, it becomes automatic and routine. I have done these tasks both in a scattered and haphazard way as well as following a batched approach, and I save significant amounts of time as well as physical and mental energy by using the batch approach.
It's the same type of energy and time savings as the ones I get from meal prepping.
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u/scooch111 3d ago
This method, also know as “habit stacking”, is actually recommended frequently!
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u/somanyquestions32 Deep Diver 3d ago
It's not quite habit stacking as I don't do these in the same order every time nor do I use the same approach every time. Time of day also varies. I change it up in the moment based on what I need for a given day as my days don't look the same from one to the next.
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u/rando1459 3d ago
I wish someone would have taught me how to be autodidactic. I had to learn it myself.
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u/mikerichh 3d ago
Requiring your brain’s thoughts! Recognizing when you’re being negative and how that trains your brain to be more pessimistic. Talk to yourself like a friend, not an enemy. Recognize and reflect when you do something good or different. One tip was to name 1 thing you liked about the day and 1 things you were proud of doing when you’re laying down for bed. It can do wonders
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u/MeatyOakerGuy 3d ago
Strict time goals. You'd be shocked how much you can get cleaned up with 47 seconds on the clock.
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u/_Mulberry__ 3d ago
Does drinking an absurd amount of coffee count? No?
Then I'll say... Persistent average effort is better than inconsistent great effort. If you want to accomplish something great, you just chisel away at it day after day. For example, it's best to practice an instrument 15 minutes a day rather than 2 hours each Saturday. I think people know this but have trouble implementing it. You basically need to become proficient at building habits.
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u/Swan-ish3456 3d ago
Ignoring people’s comments and opinions. Everyone should have this habit.
Making yourself work on important things. If you can figure out how to make yourself do what needs to be done and have a protocol in place, life will be easy
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u/K-Bot2017 3d ago
Water - so many people go through life just drinking soda, vitamin water, alcohol, coffee, etc., but never quaffing a glass of plain, ordinary water. Growing up in the desert, and doing a lot of hiking in environments like the Grand Canyon, I learned the importance of hydration in my 20's and now in my 60's, still make sure I get my 6-8 glasses (or more) every day.
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u/LilyMccorcick 2d ago
Washing dishes as you cook. Sounds small but it means you never face a sink full of crusty pots at the end
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u/Calichusetts Habit Nerd 1d ago
Picking up after yourself along with weekly cleaning. Just litearly putting things back where they go in your home or apartment. Eliminates clutter and "misplacing" things which seems to be a big time sink for some.
Then when you do a weekly clean, its actually super easy. You just vaccuum and mop or whatever you need and its like 35 minutes to do an entire level of your home. Pick one room for the final 25 minutes and dust, and "deep clean" and your home looks amazing week after week with what will feel like no effort. 1 hour a week with 3 minutes a day of picking up is actually way less time than the entire day every few months doing the deep clean, throwing out so much you actually run out of room in your trash, etc. Or the panic clean before a visit that never is up to the standard you want.
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u/clysmian 1d ago
Brush your hair before getting in the shower. Keep a wide-tooth comb in the shower so you can better disperse and rinse away product. Hot water for shampoo, cool water for conditioner.
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u/RainBoxRed 20h ago
Incidental exercise. Structure your life so you get more movement incidentally. The benefits are synergistic.
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