Habit: a regular behavior or routine that is performed repeatedly and often subconsciously in response to a specific context or cue.

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The common belief, even among experts, is that establishing good habits requires a prolonged period of repetition. This is not necessarily true.

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The Lynchpin Checklist

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There is a simple method where, by firmly establishing just one habit, you can almost instantly create and maintain scores, if not hundreds, of other great habits.

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That one habit is the habit to review and checkoff the items in your Lynchpin Checklist starting by a certain time each day (most commonly no later than a specific time each morning) and to do each item on the list, which can include doing the same for any nested lists within your Lynchpin Checklist. 

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A simplified example of my Lynchpin Checklist

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✔︎ Dance for a minimum of 30 seconds (enjoying watching myself on Zoom).

✔︎ Plan day using the Perfect Plan procedure (using the Google sheets template).

✔︎ Review the daily reminder list (maintained in Workflowy.com).

✔︎ Go through all action and reminder items in today's Todoist.com list.

✔︎ ...

✔︎ Handle all emails from the previous day in the email inbox.

✔︎ Take all supplements on the supplement list.

✔︎ Check my friends/family birthday list for any birthdays that occur today and send a message.

✔︎ ...

✔︎ Text Heidi (my celebration partner) the end-of-day's status on doing all the "habits" in my Lynchpin Checklist.

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Notice that four of these items on this list require me to refer to and check off the items in other lists.

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Can we really call all the items in these lists habits?

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If we consistently adhere to the Lynchpin Checklist's protocols, then it's fair to assert that performing any task listed there, as well as any sub-tasks, becomes habitual immediately. The mere act of being prompted by the checklist serves as a cue, solidifying our routine of executing each item repeatedly. This behavior aligns seamlessly with the concept of a habit.

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One caveat

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Can we say that we have established the habit of doing the Lynchpin Checklist when we have less than 100% rigor in doing everyone of the items on that checklist and within its nested checklists, even though we have read the reminder to handle all those items?

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How much leeway might we allow or not ourselves from day to day in how impeccable we execute each and every item on the checklists?

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Now-Next Integrity and sensitivity to circumstances

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If our Next has not consulted with our Now and gotten alignment when deciding what action items to put on the lists, then it would be foolish to expect a consistent level of rigor in following through on each item on the lists everyday.

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As a corollary to this, if we notice any consistency in our "not being willing" to handle any particular item on our lists each day, then we should review the prudence and integrity of having that item on the list, deciding whether to modify it or remove it from the list.

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Additionally, we need to be smart (without just making "excuses") in knowing when there may be circumstances where it makes sense to forego doing one or more items on the lists in any given day.

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What about habits that need to rely on our subconscious mind to know when to remember to do them?

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Suppose we want to establish the habit to remember to count to ten first when we about to speak out something we're likely to regret later. You can establish this type of habit by putting a reminder for this in the Lynchpin Checklist using the procedures in the Kickstarting a mental habit.

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Now you can quickly establish and maintain any habit you want to (assuming you include taking the time to ensure Now-Next Integrity for each new habit you want to have)

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Go for it!

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