Friday, December 2, 2022

On the brink, the cusp, the verge...


 I mentioned that Atomic Habits has altered the way I live my life.

One of the tips I got from James Clear is to build structures around your desired habits that help to make those habits a reliable part of your daily routine.

One of the structures that James recommends is a "habit scorecard". It's really simple. You make a list of the activities you want to include in your daily life. My list is, of course, in a spreadsheet.

I started tracking my daily activities on September 29 last year.

When I do the thing that I feel ought to be part of my daily routine, I get an "X" in that activity's pigeonhole for that day. I never cheat. I never exagerate.

One column is "Move - walk, ride, swim". If I walk the pigeonhole gets a "W". If I ride my bike, it's an "R". Swims are rare.

When I ride in the underground garage doing the P2 loop, the pigeonhole gets a "P2".

In March of this year when my morning rides went from the garage to the great outdoors, I was able to use the activity app on my iPhone to track my rides. From that point on I not only noted the fact that I had ridden, I noted the distance.

In that way, in the early morning on November 11, I knew the exact moment and the exact place where I reached 1,000 kms.

I then went back in time (in my spreadsheet) to February 2, of this year. That was when I determined that 60 P2 loops adds up to 9.6 kms. I then added those kilometres.

My early morning rides, as I write this, amount to not less than 1,483.68 kms. 

That's a lot of kilometres. All in under a year.

If I stick to my routine, Monday I will cross the 1,500 kilometre line.

Wow! 

A bunch of little steps can really add up to something BIG! Quicker than you think!!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

So here it is, December 3, 2022. I'm starting to get serious about touring on my 'new to me' 2020 Vespa GTS 300 Touring. After all, it is the 'Touring' model! I've been 'bike packing' on various motorcycles for years but never with the limited luggage space that the Vespa offers. My goal is to use only the Chinese top box, the front rack, the 'glove box' and the pet carrier (under seat). The 2020 comes with a USB port in the glove box and the prior owner installed a 12V polarized connector in the pet carrier. I will follow your example and install at least one 12V outlet in the left knee pad. So anyway, thanks for your suggestions as I prepare for my tour. Oh, the tour will be from New Mexico to Oklahoma to visit friends along the way. I'm too old now to start for AK or CD with the Vespa (took my 4th MC trip to AK in June 2022 on my Can Am Spyder) at 78.

Unknown said...

Sorry, my name is Russ and my 'handle' is McRuss (MotorCycle Russ, not the Scottish version!)

David Masse said...

Russ, welcome, thank you for sharing your trip here.

I wish you an amazing journey that delivers more satisfaction and happiness than expected.

Ride safely and have fun!

The copyright in all text and photographs, except as noted, belongs to David Masse.