Habit Architecture

Now that we understand how to Install New Habits, it is important to think about how those habits themselves are organized and installed relative to one another. I call this, Habit Architecture.

In order to develop detailed Processes, Daily Schedules, and Daily Rituals we need to understand how to link habits together. Indeed, it is actually easier to maintain habits if we link them together in this way. Creating larger chunks of the day sequenced together, but each themselves composed of smaller pieces sequenced together, in patterns that we repeat daily.

Basic Habit Architecture

One way that you can think of the day, is to break it into three pieces Morning Routine, Work Schedule, Evening Routine.

The most important habits are Daily Habits. These are the most fundamental. There are also a great many habits that are mundane — cooking, showering, dishes, brushing teeth, and so on — that we need to do every day anyways. “Chop Wood, Carry Water”. It is best that we take care of these effectively, wasting as little time and energy thinking about these as possible, to maximize efficiency.

Thus we can break up the day into three major pieces Morning Routine, Work Schedule, Evening Schedule.

Each of these can be further subdivided into parts that carefully arrange and sequence together as habits. An example of my schedule (at one point at least) is:

• Morning Ritual
  • Wake Up Routine (Wake Up, Bush Teeth, Shave, Relieve Self, Wash Body and Face, Moisturize, Get Dressed)
  • Meditation
• Work Schedule
  • Writing & Research (4h)
  • Computer Programming (4h)
  • Reading & Notes (1h)
  • Language Study (1h)
• Evening Schedule
  • Food (Prep, Eat, Clean, Feed Dogs)
  • Dog Walk & Training
  • Night Ritual (Brush Teeth & Shower, Music, Clean, Pack, Plan, Sleep)

Hierarchical Habit Structure

Efficiency In The Routine

One of the great benefits of this, is that when you are Designing and Installing Habit Architecture, it makes it easier to Install.

Above I listed like 20 individual habits that make up the day. Things that I have to do every day (most work, and only a couple leisure). It is hard to think of maintaining that — especially installing it — since 20+ moving parts is hard.

If we sync groups of these into smaller routines, we can make this easier. Then, and only then, can we begin to talk about efficiency in our days, and in our routines.

The Goal

The goal of this is to make our days as efficient as possible, making fundamental tasks unconscious daily activities that are relaxing (as much as anything).

Brushing our teeth, flossing, showering, cooking and cleaning, organizing, getting dressed, as unconscious habits that we do intentionally as part of larger processes. This frees up time, so that we can take care of the things that are truly important to us.