Free Up Your Brain - The Power of Automating “Doing”

Recently I picked up the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In the initial chapters, Clear shares the idea of doing small actions daily, which compound to make up our “good” or “bad” habits, ultimately shaping our identities.

It got me thinking that our minds are overloaded with not only information but also with thinking, analysing, and rumination in some form or another.

For some people, this is overwhelming, even tormenting sometimes, and can lead to wasting time, a lack of action (paralysis) or missed opportunity. Leading to a state of lack of motivation.

Motivation can be like a big inhale of energy or light to do something big, however, that is a misleading concept as James Clear points out. It is all about automatic and incremental actions that set you up to for a positive trajectory or negative outcome.

When we do small actions without thinking, we free up brain capacity. That’s the key message. You may wonder, “capacity for what?” and ultimately it is the capacity for creation and creativity.

Psychology tells us that humans don’t do well when there is a trail of unfinished tasks dragging behind us.

So when you’re dreading doing the dishes that have been piling for 3 days, your thoughts are taken up by the effort you’re going to have to put into washing up rather than create ways to leave your 9 to 5, study or spend time on a hobby.

Do the simple tasks of life without thinking. Leave space for living a more meaningful life. Take the hassle out of doing the bare basics. Chores are not your life, but they do make up a part of your life. Don't make the mistake of putting a lot of effort into the bare minimum.

This book breaks down the wisdom behind habit formation and offers practical strategies for rooting out habits that don't serve you and plant ones that do.

Follow along as I review more of the chapters from Atomic Habits by James Clear.