I’m a strong advocate for the idea that quantity can be more important than quality. When it comes to self, today’s mantras often say we should focus on the quality of our work and thereby ‘seek perfection’, as it carries more value through our lives than when we concentrate on quantity. But to me, this is far from true. Quantity matters equally to quality; the same way excellent habits create excellent results, without you needing to concentrate on the latter.

If you were at the beginning of a new goal, quantity over quality would matter even more so. It carries more value through greater opportunities and motivation. The more you prioritise quantity, through seeking excellence in your habits, the more you appreciate the power of ‘getting started’ — and the less you worry about failure or making mistakes. …

I love the idea of self-awareness. And 2020 was the year I felt I needed to work on it the most. I’m glad I did. It was a year of total introspection, though that can be both good and bad. Most days were spent thinking about how I get as much value out of my time during national lockdown; working on doing what I should create myself as the person I wanted to be. The more time I saved for self-awareness, the more time I had to conjure ways to learn about myself, improve myself, and be better every day.

Self-awareness is a valuable element in our mindset. Research finds that when we see ourselves in a clear-cut fashion, we’re more confident and more creative. We make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively. In a real-world setting, we’re less likely to die, cheat, and steal. We work better — alone and in collaboration. We’re more likely to be rewarded with promotions and raises. …

In today’s world, being busy can feel like a proud achievement, a badge of honour, perhaps. Plenty of us define ourselves by what we do — so we overwork, overdo, and overproduce to look better. Downtime could even come across as a dirty word in society. But why? It’s not a bad thing; letting your mind rest and wander is in fact a keystone to better health and increased productivity. And it’s not something many of us get right.

How well could you explain the differences between an amateur and a professional athlete, if we put them side-by-side? You could spot the clear external differences at first: a chiselled and purposeful physique, or attributes that suggest they were built for their sport — like the short legs and enormous wingspan of Michael Phelps. …

Too often, people focus on achieving a specific result or external benchmark. But any way you cut it, being caught up in your results is a recipe for disaster.

Today’s world of digital technology and sweeping data at our fingertips grants insight into our behaviours like never before. We can track anything, from miles ran, or calories burnt, or products sold, or hours spent in REM sleep. And with the connectivity of social media and e-commerce, it’s easier than ever to share and compare. And “keeping up with the Joneses” no longer means just our neighbour. …

“Goals are something we hope to achieve. Standards are an uncompromising duty”. That idea is what swung my outlook on goals. Look around on most self-help articles. You’ll often find the term “SMART goals” plastered somewhere. Or the idea of writing your goals on paper every day or saying them out loud every morning. Goal setting is always the go-to advice for most people — and don’t get me wrong, goals are important. They give you some form of direction. I wouldn’t advocate for people not to have any. …

It’s an early Saturday afternoon. You’re tired from the weeks’ activities — most notably from the stress you’ve had to handle at work all week, again. You’ve now finally found time to lie down and switch off. So you hop on the sofa, recline your feet on the protruded armrest and switch the TV on for the new series you’ve started. Then, without thinking, you pick up your phone and begin scrolling for news on social media.

Hours pass. It’s 7 pm and sorting dinner is now a thing. “Where’s the day gone? And why am I still so tired?” It feels like another Saturday has gone to waste. And you feel the same way even if you were productive — cleaning the house top to bottom, going to your fitness class or gym for an hour or two, and seeing your friend for that all-important four-hour catch-up. …

To be able to change your behaviour whenever you want is enough to be a superpower. As time moves on, our bad habits often remain. So, someone who can drop their bad habits easier than others is going to have a much better time in many parts of life. But how could it be easier for anyone, including yourself, to change and become a happier, smarter, and stronger person? Positive reinforcement. The solution is simpler than you think.

For myself in the past, growing up doing sports meant I had spent much of my time adopting new patterns of behaviour to improve my performances. In netball, it was foot placement, balance when swivelling, and developing better awareness. For athletics, it was my gait and posture. For cycling, it was building on my natural pedalling style and training my muscles to fire at the right phase of the stroke. …

How much time do you think you spend looking back, appreciating what you’ve achieved so far? And how much time do you spend looking forward, focused on where you want to be and what you want to have achieved? Certainly for me, but many others too, looking forward tends to be the priority.

There is a clear reason why: one of the most compelling reasons to have a goal is enjoying the thought of succeeding. Fitness enthusiasts envision themselves with outstanding strength and an their ideal physique. Writers picture their work published among the biggest and best publications. …