A default is the standard option you would choose when making a decision. It could be how you introduce yourself, the percentage you tip on a bill, or the decision to turn on the TV when you get home.
Defaults are a powerful time-saving measure that also reduce cognitive burden.
But since you will choose defaults nearly all the time, you should be very certain that they are the correct ones.
At their best, defaults will empower and support you. At their worst, defaults will hold you back and make your life harder.
Do your defaults serve your needs, or do you serve your defaults?
I've come to realise that I can choose my defaults to serve my needs. In particular, I’ve started using defaults to build new habits and achieve personal goals.
Here’s a few:
I default to listening to a podcast or audiobook in Hindi when walking to/from my office. This gives me 60 minutes daily of listening and speaking experience I wouldn’t otherwise have time for.
I default to charging my phone overnight in the kitchen, not next to my bed. This means that I don't use my phone before sleeping or after waking, protecting my sleep quality.
I default to sleeping in my workout clothes. This means I barely need to exert any effort to go to the gym in the morning -- I put on my shoes, and head out.
The real challenge is that most people don’t realise that they always choose the default option, or even have the option to change their default. The solution is to introspect and think creatively.
So: consider your defaults carefully. And make them serve your needs, instead of you serving them.
Thanks to Hiten Patel, Chris Cassar, Sushant Achawal, and Sebastien Djiols for their feedback.
Loved reading this, Apurva. Tricking the mind to defaults, which will serve you better, seems to be a good way to make a positive change in one's life.
I like this! Some other defaults I use:
- I roll out yoga mat in the living room by default before I go to bed. This makes it easier to make myself do stretches in the morning (quite similar to your workout clothes one)
- I default to having a book next to bed so I am more likely to read before going to sleep which helps with quality of sleep as well as with building a reading habit
- I default to signing up to my badminton class a week in advance so that when time comes, I've already paid and it's easier to make myself actually go there
- I default to solving a chess puzzle while having breakfast which helps me reduce scrolling time and wake up my brain