an article that focuses on the imperativeness of non negotiables!
non negotiables ❌
what?
non negotiables are the things that you will not, under no circumstances, compromise on.
non negotiables are the things that are deeply important to you, things you are reluctant to change or alter in all circumstances.
for example, a non negotiable may be;
- reading every day
- sleeping by 10pm (or having a good sleep schedule that works for you)
- eating a healthy breakfast
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whatever the non negotiable thing is, it’s important that you have at least one within your life.
it’s important that you take time to understand yourself and figure out what things are deeply important to you, so you can implement them.
why?
why is it important to identify your non negotiables?
i think the better question is, why shouldn’t you identify them?
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identifying your non negotiables is immensely important for a range of reasons;
- it allows you to progress
- it allows you to take control of your daily life
- it allows you to do meaningful work, both in your personal and professional life
if you cultivate a few non negotiables for each day, it allows you to reclaim control in your life and ensure that you do the things you want to do.
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for example, one of my non negotiables is having an undistracted morning routine — i have a set routine in which i’m fully alone, i don’t check my phone, and nothing distracts me.
this allows me to take control of my morning, so that i can have a great day!
how to figure out what’s non negotiable?
goals
one of the first things to do is to look at your goals. (if you don’t have any major goals, now’s the time to set them!)
what are your long term goals? where do you want to be in 5 or 10 years?
taking a look at your goals can help you figure out what’s important to you;
- if your long term goal is to become a writer with a bestselling book, writing is likely something that’s important to you. your non negotiable, therefore, could be writing every day for at least 30 minutes!
- if your long term goal is to run a marathon, running is likely something that’s important to you. your non negotiable, therefore, could be to run consistently.
if you know what’s important to you, through looking at your goals, you can correctly design and cultivate some non negotiables.
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another great way to figure out what’s non negotiable in your life is to simply focus on what makes you happy.
figure out a few things that make you happy, and try and implement them as non negotiables.
- perhaps working out and exercising is helpful to you — make it a non negotiable that you take time to move your body.
- perhaps reading is something that helps you rest and relax — make it a non negotiable that you read 10 pages.
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conversely, it’s also important to focus on what makes you unhappy.
if you can identify the things that make you unhappy, the things that drain your energy or cause stress in your life, you can make it a non negotiable that you avoid those things!
for example, i know that spending too much time socialising is incredibly draining for me — with this understanding of myself, i try and set boundaries with the people in my life, and i also make sure to spend a great deal of time alone.
there’s a range of ways to figure out what’s non negotiable in your life.
what matters is that you do your best to understand yourself, to figure those things out, and then to implement them.
implement
it’s absolutely crucial that you take action and implement the non negotiable things into your daily life.
once you’ve identified the things that are important to you, make sure you act on that. implement those things into your life.
how to implement?
- habits
- consistency
- force
habits
habits are massively important in life if you want to achieve.
habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.
this definition is kinda wordy and complicated; habits are daily actions that you take which can allow you to massively improve in the long term.
when you repeat 1% wins and good habits, day after day, through replicating good decisions, duplicating small wins and reflecting, your small choices may compound into great results.
when you repeat 1% errors, day after day, through replicating poor decisions, duplicating tiny mistakes, and rationalising little excuses, your small choices may compound into toxic results.
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if you create the daily habit of implementing your non negotiable, you’ll see immense results.
- make a daily habit of reading 10 pages, every day, consistently.
- make a daily habit of working for 2 hours, every day, consistently.
for whatever is important to you, make a habit out of it! i’ve focused in depth on the book atomic habits and the importance of habits in other articles — check them out for a greater, in depth analysis!
consistency
you’ve gotta be consistent.
there’s no way around this.
if you want to advance, if you want to progress, if you want to improve, you need to be consistent.
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once you’ve identified those non negotiable things in your life, be consistent with them; do them as regularly as necessary.
rather than implementing those things randomly, whenever you remember, be consistent!
being consistent is important due to the fact that;
- it allows those habits to compound, generating great results.
- it provides a great deal of happiness.
- you get to see your progress!
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some good ways to be consistent;
- use habit tracker apps or websites.
- find a friend or someone you know that will hold you accountable!
- post about it on social media.
force
i’ve also found that, sometimes, being forceful is the best method.
simply being forceful and adamant with yourself — telling yourself that you will workout, no matter what, for example — can help you build discipline and stay consistent.
make it so that you have no room, whatsoever, to make any excuses.
be forceful with yourself, make it happen.
in conclusion
- find your non negotiables
- implement them
this allows you to take control of your life, your happiness and your future!
for me.
how does any of this relate to me?
initially, finding my non negotiables depends on my life situation (whether i have any exams, whether i’m working etc).
no matter what though, i make sure that i have at least a few, daily non negotiables that i practice.
during the times where i’m studying and i have exams, my non negotiables are usually;
- a solid morning routine with no distractions.
- studying with no distractions (for however long i need to that day)
- working out (not every day, but a sufficient amount! i find that it helps me keep balance and takes me out of the studying mindset)
- keeping a good sleep schedule.
for me, those are the things that i will not compromise. i’ll try and stay consistent with those non negotiables and allow everything else to work around it.
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at the moment, i’m on summer break — i don’t really have anything to study for, and i have no work at the moment either, so i’m currently trying to figure out my non negotiables.
it looks something like this;
- working out (i train 3 days a week with cardio at least once or twice)
- writing each day (articles like this or stoic articles!)
- learning spanish.
- my morning routine (this is so sacred to me lmao)
- p50 (im doing project 50 again! this helps me stay consistent with reading and eating healthy)
although, i’m not entirely happy with it at the minute.
i’m in a sort of transition period — i’m not studying, i’m not working, i’m not really doing anything. i’m just floating between the days.
i’m just taking each day as it is, trying to stay consistent and balanced and trying to maintain happiness. i imagine, when i find work, my non negotiables and routine will change and i’m okay with that!
but for now, i’m just trying to keep purpose and keep happiness.
