Habits make things I hate doing much easier

What’s the big deal about habits? Why do all these ice-bath-taking meat-heads keep talking about building good habits? What’s the point?

The one benefit that inspires me to build good habits is this: habits make things I hate doing much easier. 

In his book The Power of Habit, author Charles Duhigg describes a scenario of the first time you learned to back a car out of a garage. Learning to drive as a teenager, this was very difficult for me. I had to watch the wall on my right, the other car on my left, all three mirrors, and manage my mom’s stress sitting the passenger seat. Sweat built up under the arms, is all I’m saying. But now, I can back the car out of the garage while texting a friend, connecting my phone to bluetooth, and making a joke to my mom. I barely think about it because it’s become a habit. It’s automatic. 

For a long time I hated doing dishes. What a boring chore with very little upside. Until I turned it into a habit. Previously, it was a task I had to pump myself up for. But since it turned into a habit, I barely even think about it. I’m solving work problems in my head while I’m doing dishes without even noticing. My body goes into auto-pilot while my mind runs free. It’s almost like I’m not even doing them at all—like I’m watching someone else do them. 

If you read The Power of Habit, you’ll learn about dozens of benefits for good habits and pitfalls with bad ones. But for me, I’m simply trying to make the things I hate doing just a little bit easier.