Habits and Hopes

As Justin Whitmel Earley says, your life is formed by your habits more than your hopes.

Two years ago, at the beginning of 2022, my guest on The Habit Podcast was Justin Whitmel Earley, the author of The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction. That episode has turned out to be the most-downloaded episode in the history of The Habit Podcast. It was so good that I’m re-running it as this week’s episode.

In the introduction to The Common Rule, Justin describes a breakdown he experienced a few years ago. After years of diligently pursuing his calling as a lawyer, consumed by the busyness and long hours and ambition that are the norm in that field, he found himself debilitated by anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia. He writes,

I see now that my body had finally become converted to the anxiety and busyness I’d worshiped through my habits and routines. All the years of a schedule built on going nonstop to try to earn my place in the world had finally rubbed off on my heart. My head said one thing, that God loves me no matter what I do, but my habits said another, that I’d better keep striving in order to stay loved.

In the end, I started to believe my habits–mind, body, and soul.

Earley committed to a new program of habits that evolved into what he calls The Common Rule, the aim of which “was to try to get my heart to believe the peace that my head professed but my body refused.” 

“I had no idea how much my life was being formed by my habits instead of my hopes,” writes Earley. That’s a really important insight. We think of ourselves as being shaped by our ideas and beliefs and hopes—and, of course, we are—but we grossly underestimate the power of habit in our lives. We aren’t just what we think; we are also what we do.

As you think about your goals and hopes and resolutions for 2022, I hope you’ll think in terms of habits. A resolution is something that happens between your ears. A habit is something that happens in your life. The right kind of habits create healthy grooves that your life can run in—grooves that align with Reality (and, therefore, productivity, joy, peace, rest, etc.). Just as important, the right kind of habits protect you from those who seek to hijack your attention and energies by manipulating your habits (including, but not limited to, app and website developers and creators of mass media).

Good habits, according to Justin Earley, are a trellis for love to grow on. I find that a helpful way to think about it. As part of your new year’s commitments, you might consider establishing some or all of the eight keystone habits that Earley discusses in The Common Rule:

Four Daily Habits

• Kneeling prayer three times a day

• One meal with others each day

• Phone off at least one hour each day

• Scripture before phone in the morning

Four Weekly Habits

• One hour of conversation with a friend

• Curate media to four hours a week

• Fast from something for 24 hours

• Sabbath

You can find out more  at https://www.thecommonrule.org

Happy New Year, friends. Here’s to better habits!

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What new habits are you looking to form in 2024? Let’s hear about them!

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• “Writing with Puddleglum” is a six-week online writing class based on C.S. Lewis’s book The Silver Chair. The class will meet on Tuesdays, from January 30 through March 5. Registration will start next week. (Habit members, you won’t need to register; this class is included in your membership.)

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• Discussion of James Thurber’s “The Night the Bed Fell.” Next Wednesday, Jan 10, at 7pm Central. In last November’s Writing Close to the Earth class, we read Jame’s Thurber’s “The Night the Bed Fell,” but we didn’t have time to discuss it. In this ninety-minute Zoom meeting, we will dig into the story and look at exactly how Thurber’s humor works. Everyone is welcome, and the event is free, but you do need to register in order to get the Zoom link. (Members of the Writing Close to the Earth class or the Habit Membership don’t need to register.

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• The Habit Winter Writers’ Retreat, Feb. 9-10 in Nashville.

  We're still working on the schedule, but you can expect the following:

  • Teaching times (led by Jonathan Rogers)

  • Critique groups

  • Group writing activities/exercises

  • Opportunities to read your work aloud (and hear your colleagues read theirs)

  • Ample free time

  • Good meals

  • Plentiful snacks

  • A live recording of The Habit Podcast

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• Virtual Writing Rooms on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

• Thursday Afternoon Office Hours

• Writing Prompt: “Teamwork”

There's a place for you in this vibrant community of writers. Find out more about The Habit Membership here.

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In a replay of an episode from 2022, I speak with Justin Whitmel Earley about the formation of better habits. Justin is the author of The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction, among other books.

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