Successful Habit Creation
A brief over view of Atomic Habits by James Clear
James Clear specializes in decision making, habit creation and lasting behavior change. I’ve employed a few of his techniques from his book and have found them very useful in creating new routines for myself both personally and professionally.
Clear has 4 Laws of Behavior Change.
The action must be:
Obvious - Have daily cues that are clear and consistent
Easy - Starting the activity should have little complications
Attractive - Make it fun
Satisfying - What is the true goal/reward for the activity?
Routines are hard to create/change. If even one of these is missing, the new habit won’t stick.
My new habit goal: I wanted my exercise routine to become more consistent.
My obvious cue became coming home and putting my coat away. I hang a fitness band in my closet. When I put my coat away my work out shorts and fitness band are already right in front of me. I then pick them up and walk into the space I have set up for activities in my house.This is an example of what Clear calls Stacking a habit. You use the momentum of one activity into starting the next. I use the momentum of putting away my coat to start my work out.
I’ve made it easy to start since my fitness band is easily accessible. I also started small. Clear mentions you should have a Starting Ritual that is 2 minutes or less. My goal was to start with some stretches and a few pushups. My work outs were only a few minutes long, but it built the habit. Once I started and got warmed up, it was easier to keep going.
As for making it fun, I make sure I have playlists to listen to while I work out. Music helps motivate me and keeps me from getting too bored. If I don’t feel like listening to music, I often will listen to a podcast, the news, or watch a Netflix show while I work out. This is an example of Clear’s strategy to Sync activities. Pair a less fun activity with a more fun one to build it up.
I find my exercise routine to be intrinsically motivating because I want to be healthier. It boosts my mood and helps me sleep. This helps with the satisfaction part of it. It’s good to know why you are wanting to change or create a habit. I like knowing the benefits.
Clear also mentions that you should Keep Score of your habits. This can be done on paper, a calendar, an app. Just make sure to track progress so you can measure it. I measure my progress by recording how many repetitions of a certain work out I can do in one session. I also watch tutorial videos on how to do certain exercises better. Watching others triggers mirror neurons and makes starting an exercise even easier. Enhancing my technique is also satisfying.
Finishing a work out is then my cue to go shower and do my skin care routine. It all flows.
I use these techniques almost unconsciously, especially stacking, to create new behaviors when needed. I’ve employed these stacking strategies to work as well.
Let me know in the comment section or email if you end up employing these techniques or improving upon them. I’d love to know what you think.
Good luck and may good things come your way!
Love,
Gia
