Last night on Instagram, I came across a video saying “your childhood self would be proud of who you’ve become” — at the exact moment my hands were covered in cheesy puff dust. That moment made me pause and wonder once again: Why do we so often do things in our daily lives that, from the outside, seem rather foolish?

Let me share another personal example of foolishness in my life and try to work through it with you. In my dream lifestyle, I would wake up in a calm atmosphere. I’d enjoy a cup of tea, stretch gently, and take a quiet moment just for myself and my thoughts. Sounds simple enough to achieve, doesn’t it?

But why is it that on most mornings I fail to act in line with my values and dreams? Why is my phone in my hand before I even manage to drag myself to brush my teeth? Or why, instead of listening to my own thoughts on my morning walk, do I blast podcasts into my ears? And then, as the day goes on, I find myself feeling guilty that I’ve been more of a passive social media consumer than a creator of something new.

From time to time, I’ve tried to solve this by setting bans for myself, like: “No social media until you’ve done x.” Or by making a massive plan to turn myself into some kind of creative machine. But these attempts have always been short-lived, because changing established routines is hard.

With my hand still in the cheese puff bag, I swear that I really do want to change my habits. And what I currently know about making successful changes seems to involve a few elements:

  • It’s useful to figure out what need the current behavior is fulfilling.
  • It’s important to be aware of what the change could help you achieve.
  • Change should be broken down into small actions. Those actions should ideally become routines.
  • The best way to turn actions into routines is to link them to an already existing routine.

So let’s answer the first two questions with whatever comes to mind right now.
I think passive media consumption fulfills a need to unwind and be entertained — a kind of shutting myself off from everyday life. But if I look at it honestly, passive media consumption doesn’t actually restore my energy. Listening to myself would help my thoughts and senses recover, and out of that emptiness, my own ideas and inspiration could start to emerge. And of course, I want to be full of ideas and inspired, not just a passive bystander.

So what could be the smallest possible change I could make? In the morning, when my alarm goes off, I could leave my phone screen unopened. I could walk to the bathroom to get ready while noticing if there are any tensions or aches in my body. I could give myself time for some light stretching and body care. Only then would I put on my outdoor clothes and step outside with my dog — podcasts in my ears if I feel like it. While walking, at least I’m not just passively slumping around, so this kind of media consumption isn’t the first thing I need to cut.

Let this text serve as a reminder to myself. From time to time, I’ll check in through the comments to share whether I’ve managed to make this small change and what I’ve learned. What’s the smallest possible change you could make?