Every year, I read James Clear's Atomic Habits in January. It's become my "thing".

Not because I'm interested in New Year's resolutions. Rather, it's because I like to review how far I've come by being intentional about the person I'm becoming and what I next need to focus upon in the coming weeks, months, years.

To say that this book has been one of the most life changing books I've ever read is an understatement. I've gradually changed my identity because of this book. For the better.

Clear claims there are three levels of habits. Outcome-based habits, Process-based habits and Identity-based habits.

• Outcome based habits are concerned with changing your results (eg losing weight, building revenues etc).

• Process based habits is where you systemise a habit (eg morning tidy-up for improved work focus, develop a meditation practice).

• Identity based habits are where we change our beliefs about ourselves, and gather evidence to build that belief.

This final level is the inner circle, where the deep long lasting shift occurs and transformation sticks.

Awareness is key

Whilst re-reading this book, I reflected upon the habits I've implemented that have helped me change my self-identity. Things that used to be a life-long problem for me, that used to keep me stuck from what I truly wanted for my life. Things like:

• I am now a reformed coffee addict (4+ years),

• I no longer use alcohol to numb my feelings (18 months, sober 3+ months),

• I no longer chew my nails (2+ years);

• I am strong and flexible through pilates minimum 3 x per week (3+ years);

• I own my home outright (3+ years);

• I now take a minimum of 6 weeks travel per year whilst running a successful business (2+ years);

• I've improved my sleep quality and quantity (min 7 hours per night, 3+ years);

• I drink 3L of water per day (4+ years).

Annual Practice

Every year that I read this book, I look deeply within and search for what it is I want to work upon in the year to come. I ask myself:

• What habit no longer serves me?

• Where am I wasting my time and energy?

• Where can I make a change in my life that will take the least amount of effort to result in the biggest game change?

• Where have I been resisting this change?

• How can I make this change systemised and no brainer to do?

Becoming a reformed caffeine addict

Several years ago, coffee was a big deal in my life.

I would drink a minimum of 6 double shots by 12 pm every day. Without coffee, I was irritable, erratic and angry. Travelling was a chore. I needed high quality, ground coffee. Instant would make my heart pound and race. And not all countries would have ground coffee. I would take to travelling with it just so I could function in a day.

I was quite simply, an addict.

My Philippine team loved me coming to visit because they would all get whatever Starbucks loyalty gimmick was happening based on my caffeine consumption. Usually, these would take over a month for the average, aspiring Philipino to collect. I would collect 3-4 within a week.

My team would buy me souvenirs like shirts with "but first, coffee" or hand drawn pictures of me being a super hero powered by coffee. It was joyful, it was fun. But there was a huge cost that I chose to ignore. My physical health was getting worse and my female cycle was completely out of whack.

When I became a reformed caffeine addict (as I call it), I went completely cold turkey. My naturopath sat me down and showed me how my consumption was completely derailing my whole health and life. The hidden costs and the ignored costs. My hands shook for weeks, headaches were so painful I could hardly think straight, and my sleep took over 3 months to regulate.

I knew to make this stick, I would need to also change the people I spent the most time with. I went looking for non-coffee drinking friends who loved to be super active without the caffeine. Swap one addiction to something healthier. LOL.

Fast forward to now when my team see me, and we go to Starbucks and I don't know what to order. They didn't know at first how to deal with a non-caffinated, same high energy me. It was hilarious.

Banning my mobile from my bedroom

This year, I've been looking at something I've been working towards for some time, but have up until now, resisted implementing it.

One simple life hack that I know will make a huge difference to my life is banning my mobile phone from my bedroom.

The statistics are huge and frankly a no brainer. Yet up until now, I've resisted implementing it. The resistance has been worse since I've become single again. It's almost like it's a loneliness buffer - yet actually makes me feel more lonely. Weird that.

Scientific findings show that sleep quality improves dramatically (by at least 15%); daytime sleepiness declines; improved mental health; better morning and evening routines and more in person connections just from removing your mobile phone from your place of sleep.

However, as is the case with many things that we resist and it persists until we do something about, the topic has come up independently about 5 times this past week. I know it's time.

So, the experiment has started.

The first week I noticed how much having my mobile in my bedroom truly affected me. It was quite disconcerting and alarming.

I did not realise that I would go to bed, and spend at least an hour on my mobile (sometimes much longer). Duolingo, social scrolling, texting, reading articles, going down research rabbit holes etc. In the mornings, I would wake up and do the same thing, racing out of bed at the last minute to get to where ever I needed to be.

I also didn't realise that in a week, I was spending over 49 hours on my phone!

The main block that most people have from removing their phone from their bedroom is that they use it as their wake up alarm.

I already got rid of needing my mobile as an alarm in the morning problem 4 years ago and instead, intentionally create wake up music playlists for my Sonos system and other transitions throughout my day (time to get to my desk, time to leave my desk and take Indi for an afternoon walk, time to go to bed etc). However, that didn't stop me wasting that intention by having my mobile phone in my bedroom!!

So the alarm thing wasn't a sticking point for me. So what was it?

When I looked deeply at the reasons, I was alarmed to realise that I had somehow linked my mobile phone to becoming my 'crutch' for no longer feeling lonely or that I was needed or that I was getting connection from being on my phone.

Yet, I wasn't alone. That was a false lie to keep me using my mobile. I had my beautiful dog Indiana to hang out with and snuggle up to, I had my beautiful community, friends, family, gym buddies, work colleagues to connect with.

This past week alone, by removing my mobile from my bedroom I've had a minimum extra 2 hours in my day because of not having my phone in my bedroom! My time on phone has reduced to 27 hours per week. That's an extra 22 hours available in a week!!!

I now go to bed, read 3 pages of a physical book and then go straight to sleep. I get up when my wake up playlist goes off, stretch and go take Indi for a walk. I'm home by 6:00am sometimes earlier.

I already feel more focused and able to think clearly, and it's only been a week. Imagine what will happen with a life long outcome of this would be like.

What was needed to change to make this happen?

• Be truthful and notice the impact of mobile phone in my bedroom versus the goals and habits I wanted to create in my life;

• No more using mobile phone as my wake up alarm;

• Putting a "no mobile" sign on my door as a daily reminder that I don't want mobile phones in my bedroom;

• My phone charger is now connected in the kitchen, office desk and car only.

• Monitor the positive impact on my natural behaviour of NOT having my mobile phone in my bedroom (i.e. reading my book in evening, walking earlier in morning, reducing the number of hours per week on my phone).

These life changes combined all pull together to help me create the self image of being a physically, and mentally healthy human.

Thought prompter:

• What habits are you resisting the change for?

• What are the benefits of keeping the habit?

• What is this habit truly costing you?

• By keeping this habit, what identity are you holding onto?

• Is that who you truly want to be?