4 Steps to Creating Good Habits
You know listening to self-help books on our car rides is having an impact when you find that two of the three topics your son is considering for an English persuasive argument assignment are “building healthy habits” and “breathing through your nose”! Oh the power of a captive car audience. 😁
I’m eager to share with you some golden nuggets we learned from one of our favorite books called Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear.
Mr. Clear writes, “if you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your SYSTEM. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change.”
Atomic habits refer to tiny changes, 1% improvements that can compound over time. If you can get 1% better each day for a year, you’ll end up 37 times better by the time you’re done. Compound that over two years and you're 1400 times better, three years, 53,405 times, etc. Tiny changes lead to remarkable results. We shouldn’t dismiss them!
Many of us try to make big changes, get overwhelmed and give up. All it takes is making repeated tiny changes to become who we want to be. We can ALL do this!
So how do you build good habits?
The author introduces the reader to 4 steps that create a habit loop and the basis for his 4 Laws of Behavior Change that are the foundation of his book.
A habit loop consists of a cue (1) that triggers a craving (2), which motivates a response (3), which provides a reward (4), which satisfies the craving, and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.
cue + craving + response + reward = habit loop
Without the first three a behavior won’t occur and without a reward it won’t be repeated. Building on this understanding, Mr. Clear offers 4 Laws of Behavior Change for creating good habits and eliminating bad habits. I’m only going to cover good habits today.
For purposes of illustration, let’s say you typically struggle to unwind after work and want to develop the habit of ending your workday with a walk to unplug and recharge. 😃
Your first step toward achieving this would be committing to becoming the type of person who walks daily after work for 30 minutes. If you focus more on building an IDENTITY around this and less on the results, you’ll see greater success in the long run. Performance and appearance-based goals might motivate us to do things differently in the short-term, but if you want sustainable long-term change, it needs to be an identity shift you believe in. And one way to solidify the new identity you are forming is by building tiny habits around it to reinforce it.
Here are the 4 factors that are key to forming a good habit:
1. Law #1 (Cue) Make it Obvious: The two most common cues are time and location. It is helpful to pair a new habit with a current habit (called habit stacking). E.g. You might say to yourself “I go for a 30 minute walk at 6:30 pm right after I clear up my desk and change out of my work clothes.” In addition, setting up your environment for success is key. Try putting your walking shoes and clothes right next to your desk so it is easy as possible to make the transition at the end of the day. You also want to make sure the walk is on your calendar as well.
2. Law #2 (Craving) Make it Attractive: You think about all the research demonstrating the benefits of walking. Pair it with something you like doing (called temptation bundling) like walking the dog, walking with friends, listening to music/podcasts/audiobooks, calling your best friend and chatting, or exploring new neighborhoods. You might join a culture and community where your desired behavior is normal so it is reinforced, like a walking support group or a walk-and-talk group.
3. Law #3 (Response) Make it Easy: The easiest way to make it easy is to downscale your habit so it can be done in less than 2 minutes. And master showing up first. Then the secret is to always stay below the point where it feels like work. So maybe you start your walking habit with just putting on your shoes, then you upgrade to getting out the door and walking around the block once, etc. Once you’ve mastered showing up for that, then you keep adding 1% each day. You can’t optimize a habit that doesn't exist first.
4. Law #4 (Reward) Make it Satisfying: Give yourself an immediate reward after doing your new habit. You are more likely to repeat a behavior when the experience is satisfying. Pleasure teaches your brain that a behavior is worth remembering and repeating. E.g. Watch an episode of your favorite TV show or have a glass of sparkling water with a slice of lime. Also, never miss a habit twice. You don’t want to break the chain. When you forget to do a habit, make sure you get back on track immediately. Use a habit tracker to keep track of your streak which is very satisfying. Be kind and compassionate with yourself AND keep going.
The book is jam packed with a lot of great advice. I’ll follow up next week with a few more nuggets on how to break a bad habit.
In the meantime, what’s a habit you’ve been meaning to start and how can you apply the 4 laws above to it to make it happen? Remember, tiny steps compound into remarkable results. What's stopping you?
If you want help identifying and achieving them, reach out to me. I'd love to support you.
#habits #goodhabits #habit