The Power of A Simple Habit

Flossing my teeth changed my life.

I know, it sounds silly. These days, flossing conjures up images and memes of dreaded dentist visits with blue-masked hygienists asking, “When was the last time you flossed?” You try to answer, but their rubber fingers are in your mouth and the only thing you want to do is gag and get out of there.

Well, I’ve been studying productivity and habit-formation for years in the hopes that somehow the things I learn will seep into my life and make me a more organized and self-disciplined person. It has worked…kind of.

One day a couple years ago, after being frustrated about how difficult it seemed to break old habits or build new ones, I decided to do an experiment: I’d try to build a habit so simple, it would be a cinch. It was—you guessed it—flossing!

At the time, as you might assume, I wasn’t flossing my teeth at all. I was brushing my teeth daily but stopping just short of this one extra step that could supposedly help with cavity prevention. I’ve never had a cavity in my life, and I don’t want to, so this seemed like a great place to start.

Then began the mental battle. I questioned why I had stopped flossing a long time ago in the first place. Multiple reasons, none of them all that reasonable, popped into my head: it took too much time, it might make my gums bleed, and I’d have to (gasp) buy floss. I decided to systematically dismantle these excuses.

I bought floss (one down). I decided to time myself flossing (it took less than a minute—two down). And yes, it did make my gums bleed, but apparently that’s what happens when you first start flossing. It’s only minor (barely noticeable, actually), and it stops after you floss the first few times (three down).

Then came the consistency challenge. Each night when I went to brush my teeth, I resisted the urge to stop after putting down my brush. I pulled out a strand of dental floss and went for it. At first, this new habit felt weird. It wasn’t something I was accustomed to doing, so it felt minorly uncomfortable and inconvenient. But I knew it would be good for me in the long run. So I took the extra minute and made the most of it.

After only a few weeks of flossing, it began to feel weird to not floss after brushing my teeth. Eventually, I also ran out of floss, which led to a strange sensation: discomfort. I had already become so used to flossing my teeth that it was weird to think of not doing it. I went out and bought more floss so I could keep the habit going. And now I can actually tell my dental hygienist at each appointment that I floss regularly; no more mumbling near-incoherent excuses while dentist tools tickle my tongue.

Now we return to my beginning statement about how this changed my life. I’m being a bit dramatic, but not by much. You see, this was an experiment on a micro scale. I was able to prove to myself that I could intentionally form a new habit, even if only a simple one. This experiment opened the doors in my mind to a multitude of possibilities. If I would only be willing to experience a little bit of resistance discomfort (like one might feel lifting weights) in order to form a good new habit, I could accomplish and grow so much. The same can be said for stopping a bad habit, as the steps are very similar. I don’t have to be lazy or afraid of the process.

I thank God that He gave me a brain capable of making important lifestyle changes through the use of reason and the ability to overcome the fear of change and failure. Since then, He has given me the continued confidence and courage to build new habits and tear down old ones. Regularly posting on this blog is the most recent example.

Thank you for joining me on my journey of building new habits!