Mindset and Consistency

On the precipice of starting the CPA Exam process in the summer of 2022, I leaned on one book in particular to guide my study plan, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. For the first time in my life, I studied for an exam self-sufficiently, without the peripheral experience of a class setting or peer study environment. Below, I discuss a few of the important topics of Clear’s work and how I interwove the relationship of mindset and consistency into my daily life.?

“The central idea is to create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. Much of the battle of building better habits comes down to finding ways to reduce the friction associated with our good habits and increase the friction associated with our bad ones… How can we design a world where it’s easy to do what’s right?”

I began by reimagining my workspace by intentionally introducing a minimalist way of life. To have a clear and fresh head to study, I deleted social media apps from my phone and only re-downloaded each time I wanted to look something up specifically. Many hobbies were cut out, such as reading, cooking, podcasts and binging tv shows because I only wanted my current CPA exam to take up my mental headspace. I sought out many supplemental materials in order to hear the content in different mediums and various sources (audio, video, Youtube videos, etc.) In terms of a physical setting, I found that an organized, clean workspace increases my attitude and made me more productive.?

“Disciplined people are better at structuring their lives in a way that does not require heroic willpower and self-control. In other words, they spend less time in tempting situations. To put it bluntly, I have never seen someone stick to positive habits in a negative environment”

Once my study habit started and I created an environment that allowed a habit to form, I needed to focus on the consistency of the habit over multiple months. To avoid non-studying relapses or fostering an environment looking for excuses from commitment, I took steps to be proactive and not face challenging situations. For example, I often updated friends on my studying process, which served as a reminder that I still valued our friendships, but was too busy for many plans at the time. Also, I intentionally left my calendar as open as possible so I didn’t feel forced to do anything I didn’t want with my limited free time. And, to ward off burnout, I planned multiple trips during the process that let me relax and clear my head so I could be present and locked in during the moments I studied.?

Habit Stacking and the Diderot Effect

The Diderot Effect highlights that you often decide what to do next based on what you have just finished doing. One way to build a new habit is leveraging the Diderot effect by taking advantage of the natural momentum that comes from one behavior leading into the next through the process of habit stacking. Pick a current habit done daily and stack your desired behavior on top. It looks like this: After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]. To break up large amounts of content, I wrote many small topics on a to-do list so I could stack small wins.

So… What’s next?

1. I am training to run both a 10-miler and either a half/full marathon in the first half of the year.
2. Learn about web development and work on redesigning my website.
3. First tax busy season.