My newest habit

“Chains of habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken” -Warren Buffett

Habits. A noun. Repetitive actions. 

Habits sort of have this weird connotation of bringing about harm when people throw the word around carelessly. Nevertheless, they also having the power to induce positive change in one’s life. My friend once wisely said that we pick up new habits every new year of school as we adjust to our schedules, meet new people, and adapt to new teachers. That, and seeing Buffett’s quote, triggered memories of some habits I’ve had in the past. 

One year in middle school, I picked up the habit of playing music in the background whenever I studied. I thought it would help me study more effectively as some studies have shown. Seeing many of my friends throw in their earplugs during study hours only ascertained this notion. Later, I found it took longer to get work done so I dropped that habit. Last year, I unintentionally picked up the habit of showering at midnight. I showered when I had completed all my work, and therefore midnight deemed itself the perfect time. I have since stopped this habit and our new schedules seem to support earlier shower times. In middle school, I also developed the habit of taking class notes in color. These extra second spent changing pen colors made my notes so aesthetically pleasing that it distracted me from processing the information to focusing on the artistic feel of my page at the end of class. Circumstances, schedules, and new understandings drive new habits. 

I’ve picked up a new habit this year. Perhaps “habit” is not quite the best description as it’s more a matter of meeting my athletics requirements. This term, I’ve been participating in AM Basics, which is a morning running program. My school considers AM Basics a “life sport” because there is no interscholastic competition. Life sports also meet for just 30 minutes every day, versus the usually 90 minutes of interscholastic sports. 

Our group of 10 begins running at 7 AM, forcing me to get up early in the morning. I’ve always been a morning person…I study better in the morning, I’m happier in the morning, and I sort through my daily to-dos in the morning. Morning Basics first and foremost saves a lot of time in the afternoon, a time when I prefer doing homework or even napping.  AM Basics may be my next best habit because it enables me to get breakfast at Commons. The school created this new schedule with a late start, 8:30, every morning to encourage students to get breakfast. Nevertheless, I’ve found that on Wednesday, when there is no AM Basics, I still do not eat. Upon observing my own patterns for getting food in the morning, I’ve discovered that time for breakfast is not created by a late start but by an intentional decision to make time for it. AM Basics helps me make that decision since Commons opens when the sport ends. Finally, getting through a 30 minute run early in the morning is one of the most refreshing feelings I know. I’ve found that the hardest part of the whole process is waking up and getting out of bed. Walking out the door after just rolling out of bed occasionally involves being slapped in the face by the chilliness of the morning. What motivates me most is the feeling of accomplishment afterwards. The energy and adrenaline I develop from my run push me through the academic day more smoothly. 

AM Basics. My (soon-to-be) newest habit of the year. There’s an unparalleled feeling of being the only one awake on campus at the dawn of morning, matched by a crisp, shocking morning breeze that has drawn me into the sport. While I can’t officially call morning runs a “habit” quite yet, I’m honestly considering going on runs in the mornings on the weekends too. Tootles to more AM runs :)