Do you ride your horse BACKWARDS?!?

 Every morning when I wake up, I get out of bed, scratch my chest, go to the bathroom, turn on the lights, turn on the shower, brush my teeth, shave, shower, dry off, dry my hair, put on deoderant, and get dressed. Always in that exact order.  While it might seem like a boring anecdote of my impending old age, it actually has a big impact on my day.

The link between habits and success is not a new concept. In The One Thing, the author shares the quote: “People do not decide their futures; they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.”  And I couldn’t agree more. But the focus is on conscious actions that move you closer to a specific goal – direct habits. E.g You work out 20 minutes a day and you get into better shape. You prioritize action items for the day and as a result you accomplish the most important things first.

I take the position that indirect habits are equally important. These do not create positive movement towards a goal, but rather free mental energy to accomplish other goals. It's been proven that the amount of focus or mental energy you have in a day is limited. You start with a full bucket in the morning and you can only draw so much from it. Once you reach the bottom, it’s gonzo. You have to recharge to get a new bucket of ‘focus’.  Sure you can train yourself to have more focus, or be lax and have less (or have a rough night and have even less) but it still holds true that you have a limited set of focus for any one day.

My morning routine is specifically designed to use the least amount of mental energy. It puts a part of my life on autopilot that I would otherwise have to think about. And yes, I've gone to work without deodorant or shaving if for some reason they weren't were I expected them -- because my routine was broken and I wasn't thinking. I just don’t want to expel energy on things that don’t matter like, 'What do I still have to do before leaving for work?'.  It’s now muscle memory. I can use that time to plan my day ahead, think about a problem I was stuck on the day before, or simply use the time to ponder 'what ifs'.  But, more importantly, I’m not using my limited supply of mental energy for something insignificant.

Are you wasting precious focus energy because you don't have your own indirect habits?  Said another way, are your riding your horse backwards by thinking about too many insignificant things, or are you going to work without deorderant once in a while?

- RH