Scraps of code

Kicking off a one month long series of notes about 'Habit (as an illustrator)".

Scrapbook

We think and act automatically for the most part.

Unconsciously.

Something triggers us, and we run a script in our brains. These scripts produce our actions. These scripts have been compiled over the course of our lifetime. Our brain is a scrapbook of these scripts.

We collect scripts from our experiences, school, tv, books, places of worship, bosses, friends, colleagues, parents, etc. This scrapbook is our unconscious mind, or maybe subconscious mind. This scrapbook we call a mind is a most powerful tool.

When we write, we get to organize and sort this scrapbook. Maybe the harsh thing a teacher said is not actually true. Reframe it or toss it out. Maybe I don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer or CEO. Maybe the association of starvation and creative person is just a MYTH. Whatever.

Program

We have habits of thinking that we run unconsciously, like a computer program. And for the most part, this is a good thing. And like a program, there may be bugs.

If you can look at the code, the scripts, you can fix them. One way to be able to see the code is to keep a journal.

I use a bullet journal, which is a simple paper-based system. It’s flexible, so I can customize it to suit my needs. You can buy a book to learn how it works or you can watch a 4-minute video.

Once you see the code or scripts that produce your habits you can edit them and produce new habits.

Do you have a habit of journaling? In the comments, let me know what are some of the benefits?

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Side B: Coffee vs Green Tea

All this month I’m writing about Habit. Writing clarifies my thinking so by doing this, I’m updating the scripts in my own brain. To make this month-long experience for me more visceral, I’m changing one of my most ingrained habits. I’m swapping out my habit of drinking coffee, for a habit of drinking tea. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I don’t know what I’ll write in advance for the next 30 days. But I’ve read some books about habits so maybe some of that will feature. My adventures or misadventures with green tea will also feature.

Some of the books that I have read about habit are:

• The 7-Habits of Highly Successful People, (Recommended by my parents)

• The Power of Habit, (Recommended by my wife)

• Atomic Habits,

• As a man thinketh,

• Switch on your brain,

• The Greatest Salesman in the world (Recommended by Matthew McConaughey)

• War of Art

• Daily Rituals

• Do the work

• The Practicing Mind

I may dip into these books again over the course of the month to pull out a quote.

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“In truth, the only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habits. Good Habits are the key to all success. Bad Habits are the unlocked door to failure” - Og Mandino