Importance & Framework of Daily Mind Programming

We all want to be successful in our lives, make lots of money, have a lot of friends, and only happy life. At the same time, we just continue to do what we have been doing in the past without slightests of change. So, the results we will get today and in future will be worser than before. So, to take control of the outcome of the future, we have to take control of our mind and our day through the concept of Daily Mind Programming.

It is said, when we do something repetitively for a number of times or days, that becomes a habit. The objective of Daily Mind Programming is basically that.

Let’s understand the science behind this.

Behaviour modification theories,

Theory of Planned Behaviour/Reasoned Action:

• Developed by Fishbein and Ajzen in the 1970s.
• Suggests that intentions drive behaviour, influenced by personal attitudes and perceived social norms.
• For instance, if someone intends to quit smoking, their attitude toward smoking and societal norms play a role in their decision-making.

Behaviour Modification Theory:

• Rooted in B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning.
• Focuses on reinforcing positive habits and eliminating negative ones.
• By modifying behaviour through reinforcement and environmental influence, individuals can change their actions

Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is a psychological theory that links beliefs to behaviour. It points that three core components shape an individual’s behavioural intentions:

 

Attitude: This refers to our personal attitude toward a particular behaviour. It encompasses all our knowledge, attitudes, and prejudices related to that behaviour. For instance, an individual’s attitude toward smoking might include both positive aspects (e.g., relaxation) and negative aspects (e.g., coughing, cost, and smell) associated with tobacco use.

Subjective Norms: Subjective norms consider how we perceive other people’s ideas about a specific behaviour. It’s not about what others actually think but rather our perception of their attitudes. For example, our perception of family, friends, and colleagues’ attitudes toward smoking influences our own intentions.

Perceived Behavioural Control: This component relates to our belief in our ability to control our behaviour. It depends on both internal factors (such as our own abilities and determination) and external factors (such as available resources and support). Perceived behavioural control has a dual effect:

It influences our intentions to behave in a certain way. The stronger our perceived control, the stronger our intention to perform the behaviour.

It directly affects our behaviour. When we perceive high control, we put in more effort and persistence to succeed.

Cognitive dissonance:

Cognitive dissonance theory is a concept in psychology that explains how people experience mental discomfort when they hold conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes. Here are some key points about it:

 

Cognitive dissonance arises when there is an inconsistency between what a person believes and how they behave. This conflict leads to feelings of unease or discomfort.

 

Signs of Cognitive Dissonance:

·       Feeling uncomfortable before making a decision.

·       Trying to justify or rationalize a decision you’ve made.

·       Feeling embarrassed or ashamed about your actions.

·       Experiencing guilt or regret about past behaviour.

·       Doing things due to social pressure or fear of missing out (FOMO), even if you didn’t want to do them.

Examples:

·       Wanting to be healthy but not exercising regularly or eating well.

·       Smoking or drinking despite knowing the harm to health.

·       Spending money instead of saving, leading to regret.

·       Watching shows instead of completing tasks and hiding it from others.

Causes:

·       Forced Compliance: Engaging in behaviours that conflict with personal beliefs due to external pressure.

·       New Information: Learning something that challenges existing beliefs.

·       Decisions: Making choices that create inconsistency.

Here is another key concept, which is very important to understand and that is about Neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity or brain plasticity, refers to the brain’s remarkable ability to change and adapt throughout life. Let’s explore this fascinating concept:

Definition:

Neuroplasticity involves the reorganization and growth of neural networks in the brain.

It occurs when the brain rewires itself to function differently from its previous state.

These changes range from individual neuron pathways forming new connections to more systematic adjustments like cortical remapping or neural oscillation.

For Examples:

When Learning a New Skill: When you learn to play an instrument, your brain forms new connections related to motor skills and auditory processing.

Recovery from Brain Injury: After a stroke, the brain can rewire itself to compensate for damaged areas.

Environmental Influences: Exposure to enriched environments (such as learning new languages or solving puzzles) stimulates neuroplasticity.

Practice and Repetition: Consistent practice strengthens neural pathways associated with specific tasks or behaviours.

Historical Context:

Initially, neuroscientists believed that the brain’s structure and function remained fixed throughout adulthood. However, research in the latter half of the 20th century revealed that many aspects of the brain exhibit plasticity even in adulthood. Santiago Ramón y Cajal, a pioneer in neuroscience, described nonpathological changes in adult brain structure and coined the term neuronal plasticity. Activity-dependent plasticity has implications for learning, memory, and recovery from brain damage.

William James and the Term “Plasticity”:

In 1890, psychologist William James introduced the concept of plasticity in behaviour. He described it as a structure “weak enough to yield to an influence but strong enough not to yield all at once.” The Polish neuroscientist Jerzy Konorski is credited with coining the term neural plasticity. Early experiments, such as those by Italian anatomist Michele Vicenzo Malacarne, hinted at brain changes due to training but were eventually forgotten. Cajal’s work emphasized the neuron’s role as the fundamental unit of the nervous system and laid the foundation for understanding neural plasticity.

All these science facts can simply summarized as – if you practice something daily, it will remain your strength and if don’t practice for many days or weeks, eventually the behariour or strength will be lost.

There are several books written on the subject and some of the famous ones are;

Atomic Habit

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People

Eat That Frog

Let me try to explain the why question here. We are all gifted 24 hours equally, but some of use utilize our 24 hours very effectively and others are just drifting through the day, which much control on how they have spent their time. The reason being, people who are conscious about how they want to spend their time, they are deliberate about the plan. Invariably, they will always have a plan in place in terms of allocating the important tasks/meetings of the day well in advance, if not at least the previous day. So, when make a plan for the day well in advance, subconsciously, we are already aligned to the plan. And sometimes, the plan may not work as per the desired outcome, in those days, the review of what has been achieved and what is not achieved can be understood.

What are the components of the Daily Mind Programming;

This is a suggestion; I am making which also use in my day-to-day life. I do this everyday in the morning. But if you are more comfortable writing your journal in the night before sleeping, you may do so. 

The broad framework of Daily Programming is as under;

1.    Start with a sense of Gratitude for everything you already in life. So, you can thank God, Parents, Spouse, Children, Elders, You family, Friends, Associates, Customers, Teachers, and even Strangers, who support your life with Love, Guidance, Cooperation, Growth, Opportunities and so on.

2.    Write down the Major Life Purpose of your Life. (A life purpose is something which should be inspirational and aligned to personal life, strength & a strong emotional connect). Writing the Life Purpose with the desired time line is very powerful subconscious training activity.

3.    Write down the Major Goals of the year (example for 2024) with a time line, so that your subconscious mind is getting the feed daily. Goals with time, value or quantity will be more powerful than just writing statement without the qualifications.

4.    Review the yesterday’s achievements and failures (the previous day’s journal).

5.    Write Down the major goals of the day (The idea shared in the Eat That frog is very useful).

On to the above basic framework we can add Visualization, which means, there could be pictures, videos etc which reinforces your daily habits.

You can start the practice of Daily meditation, either prior post the Mind Programming session, that will further enable to strengthen the neural paths in your brain.

You should also tie up this activity with some other activity which is prior and post the activity. This is called Habit Stacking – a term coined by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits. For example, I do my daily mind program every day morning as the first activity after making a glass of hot water to sip on my desk. And post that, I will read a book along with hot black coffee. So far me, these sequence of activities for me become the habit stacks.

For my Daily programming, I like to use a physical journal and a fountain pen in blue ink. But it may be possible, some of you would like to use a digital journaling system, which is absolutely fine. As long as you are not getting distracted by the notification from other apps while you’re making the most productive plan of the day. I don’t switch on my phone till about 8:30 am in the day, because I don’t want any other distraction to my daily chores of Mind Programming, and Book Reading in the morning.

When start your journey, you may face several challenges, which are both internal and external, don’t be too critical about anything which is external. And through conscious and deliberate efforts try to stick to the discipline of time and practice. You are always welcome to make suitable modifications to the above suggested frameworks and ideas.

And once done, get to work.

When you do this process daily, at a particular time of the day, after few weeks, the subconscious mind will automatically help you in the process. But when you are starting, it may be very difficult to understand the concept or to stick to it. Well, it is like any other habit, whether good or bad, takes time to become part of your life. So, in the initial 2/3 weeks just consciously push yourself to stick to the process and then the auto-drive of subconscious mind will take over from then on.

To make process easy, use the tips shared by James Clear in his book, Atomic Habits. Keep the activity, simple, and easy to do in small steps daily.

Keep a nice journal handy. If you are starting buy a new one. For daily writing keep the place fixed, as that becomes a subconscious hook for the habit.

Now let’s understand what happens if you don’t follow this powerful habit?

We are all living in an age of hyperconnectivity in the digital space. Each of the social platforms are programmed with very strong algorithms to spend as much more time possible. This means, most of the productive time is actually consumed without even we realize.

The dichotomy is we can not live without the digital hyperconnectivity, because a lot of productive works are also done through them. So, if want to control your mind and consciousness, the daily mind programming is a very important tool to use throughout our lives.

I would like to encourage you readers to start small but be consistent with your daily mind programming practice. Please note this is a journey and not a destination, and as a journey of self-improvement that requires patience and perseverance.

References:

Books

Atomic Habit

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People

Eat That Frog