4 Habits I built in 2020

Last year has been a massively important year for me, in a different way. I used to be an unorganized person, who went to bed at 1 a.m and wake up at 10.00 a.m, never exercised throughout the years, and certainly was not the type of person who will read a book. I never had habits that I can stick into, then the pandemic happened.

My final year was highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Everyone was going back to their hometown for quarantine and social distancing. Stay at home! They said. Maybe it was a punishment for me, who is too active and mobile to stay around at the same place for a long time. Following the others, I decided to went back to my hometown, Selat Panjang, which is a small town located pretty near to Malacca strait.

Living in my hometown, time does surely slowing down. People live at a much slower pace. I have been living there for almost 7 months. I finished my studies on-time, even though I could not attend the graduation ceremony physically (such a pity). It was a kinda weird feeling because I didn’t really feel joy during my graduation, maybe because it was online or I couldn’t celebrate it with my friends. Nevermind.

Then, for typical recent graduate questions, I asked myself what I am gonna do after finishing this college? Or what kind of career that I want to pursue? I realized that I never really thought about it before nor reflected upon it. So I decided to pick up a journal and built a habit of personal reflection. It was my first habit in 2020.

These are the habits that I have built during 2020:

1. Journaling

Journaling is a chicken-soup for the mind, the same way that exercise is to the body. I discovered the magic of brings clarity to my thinking, which can be done through journaling. I don’t have any templates in my journal. I just write things that pop up in my mind, whether it is my personal goals or showing my gratitude.

In fact, as messy as it is, it’s been a wonderful addition to my day, and I have been doing this habit for straights 3 months. It is a great way to start your day. For me, I only do it for 5 minutes a day. It doesn’t take so much time, so I don’t feel overwhelmed and it is enough to bring consistency and continuity.

2. Exercising

How to stick with a habit? Make it satisfying! I used to be a sedentary guy who dislikes exercise because I easily get bored with the routines. In fact, you can always design your exercise routines to make them more pleasant to do. For example, when I was cycling, I always turned on my favorite music or podcasts. I associated exercise with the things that I love to do, such as music.

Another reason that person doesn’t exercise because they simply don’t have time to do that. You don’t have to do it all in 30 minutes or 1 hour, especially if you are a busy person. To have a more active lifestyle is to divide your exercise into chunks. I love to take a 15-minute walk to a bus station before going to work, and another 15-minute walk when going home. It does wonder to my whole day!

3. Reading

I was truly grateful that I could maintain a consistent reading habit. Not only because it is a wonderful resource of getting new knowledge, but also it is a good tool to learn a new language. I usually read books written in English and it is helpful to absorb new vocabulary.

I am lucky to surround myself with fellow avid readers. It is definitely helpful to have close friends, who can become your reading partners. They can recommend books to read, from fiction to non-fiction. Sometimes, I could also share the insights that I got from a book with them, which definitely helps to consolidate into the long-term memory.

4. Meditation

How to do meditation? One of the most common methods is to observe the flow of your breath, breath in, and breathe out. Be mindful and not giving judgments on how you are feeling.

Sometimes, people find it difficult because they said that they are too busy to put aside their time from doing meditation. I am talking about only putting 5–10 minutes each day of mindfulness because I believe the key to building a new habit is to start it small. Only do it moderately, and gradually increase your time.

As I could become more organized in my day, 2020 has been a special year to truly slow down and rethink my goals and build new routines. For now, I want to build a writing habit and I am excited to write and share my stories, about what I have gone through and what I have learned.