How to Build Lasting Habits Using James Clear's Strategies

  Stop me if you have heard this before.    You get inspired. Maybe it’s nearing the end of the year, and you decide that next year is going to be different. Or your favorite jeans don’t have that loose, comfortable feeling that they used to have. Perhaps you met with your mentor and came away inspired to finally make some changes.    That newfound inspiration leads to setting a few goals. Hmmm…goals. Let’s see. How does that go? SMART. Specific, measurable, action-oriented? Or is it attainable? Realistic. Time-driven. Yes, that’s it. SMART.    Excited and optimistic, you do well for a while. But invariably, your willpower lets you down. Resistance wins. And we fall off the wagon. Another chapter in a long line of unfulfilled goals and short-lived bursts of activity. It hurts us in the short term - but it’s crippling long-term. What if the problem wasn’t our lack of discipline, our willpower, or our ability to follow through on our ambitious plans? What if it was simply this - being goal-driven doesn’t work for most people? What if the answer was to be less ambitious?   Goals are important. They set our direction. But it’s not about the goal. It’s about the process. I love how James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, says it. He says that "goals are results for what you want to achieve. But systems and processes are what allow us to achieve progress. It’s the systems and processes - the habits - that drive our success."   So, instead of focusing on the goal, focus on the habit. And aim low. For example, if my goal is to do 30 quality push-ups each morning before I go to work, the typical response in starting is to do as many as I can. And keep grunting and grinding until I can get to 20. It’s hard. It’s not something I look forward to. Chances are, our willpower will wain. We’ll get discouraged when we aren’t making progress. Instead, what if you made it so easy that you couldn’t fail? I want to do 30, but I’m going to start at one. One?! Get down…do your push-up…and you are done. Get on with your morning. But do it every morning. In a week or so, do two. In a couple of weeks, bump it up to three. I know what you are thinking. I’ll never get the outcome I want aiming that low!   Here’s the takeaway - it’s not about the outcome. It’s about the trajectory. I’m developing the habit - and the self-image - of someone who does push-ups every morning.   So, set your goal for the result you want. Then, forget the goal and work to develop the habit. And in that process, start slow, aim low, and make it impossible to fail. If it’s too hard, your willpower will fail you.    Aim low. Start small. Make it easy. Do it every day. Focus on the trajectory you are on more than the outcomes you are getting. You’ll develop a habit. And once you develop a habit, it’ll serve you for the rest of your life. 

How I'm *actually* getting habits to stick - after trying what feels like all the hacks out there: no surprise, it comes straight from Atomic Habits (a must read, btw) - "you must standardize the habit before you optimize for it" Sounds cool, but what does it mean? Basically - you need to start doing the thing before you can start doing it well. James Clear uses his 2-minute rule to illustrate this - you're not going to go from reading 0 pages of a book to 75 pages every day (for a sustainable time frame) in one try. But if you commit to reading just 2 minutes (or maybe a page) every day for a while, that will slowly become a habit - and then from there - it will be significantly easier to ramp up to more pages, or running more miles, or waking up earlier, or whatever it is you're trying to do. It's SO much easier to go from 1 to 2 (and even 1 to 10) than it is from 0 to 1. Remove the arbitrary standard you have in your head for what's good enough, or constitutes progress. Just add a little bit until that's easy and unconscious - and *then* work to optimize that habit. Does it take a little longer at the beginning? Yes. But does it allow you to actually integrate that habit into your life for the long term? Double yes. What habit do you want to try this with?

The secret to building life-changing habits isn’t willpower, it's laziness? 😊 We’re wired to follow the path of least resistance. That’s why it’s so easy to scroll social media, check email, or binge TV. These habits require almost no effort. Real motivation is doing what’s convenient, not what’s heroic. Think about it: most of the behaviors that fill your days are effortless. 👉 We don’t crave the habit itself: dieting, journaling, exercising 👌 We crave the outcome: better health, clear thinking, calm! So, the smarter strategy isn’t to force yourself into action, but to make your good habits as easy and frictionless as possible. (source: Atomic Habits, James Clear) ➡️ Want to work out more? Pick a gym that’s on your route home. ➡️ Want to eat healthy? Keep nutritious snacks in plain sight and junk food out of reach. The easier it is to do the right thing, the more likely you are to do it, especially on those tough days when motivation runs low. 🎯 The Smart Strategy: Design your environment to make the "right thing" the "easy thing". That’s how real change sticks. And that's what the 'Great' Leaders do: They design environments where good habits thrive. Here’s how they make high performance the default: ✅ Align vision, goals, and outcomes : Clarity reduces friction and helps teams focus on what truly matters. ✅ Build simple routines : Habits are easier to stick to when they’re structured into the day. ✅ Use clear communication channels : Make it effortless to stay informed and aligned. ✅ Embed feedback and reflection: Small learning habits fuel big growth over time. ✅ Create psychological safety : When people feel safe, open dialogue and innovation become natural. 🧠 The key? Design systems where the right behaviors are the easiest ones to do. #Leadership #Habits #EnvironmentDesign #SmartWork #EffortlessExecution #TeamCulture

The 4 Stages of HABIT Loops (from James Clear) Leveraging your Addictive Tendencies: Everyday, I see some form of "we are what we repeatedly do" platitude. Although I appreciate the truth there, I also know it takes more than 1 sentence to breakdown why we do what we do. This framework makes it simple: Stage 1: Cue – - Identify triggers that prompt desired behavior. - Design your environment to make positive cues more prominent. - Set yourself up for success by creating an environment that nudges you towards your goals. Stage 2: Craving – - Develop a strong desire for the rewards that come from the habit. - Visualize the benefits and align your mindset with long-term value. - True craving fuels unstoppable motivation. Stage 3: Response – - Craft a clear, actionable plan to execute your habit. - Break it down into manageable steps and create a system that supports consistent progress. - Efficient systems eliminate the need for relying solely on willpower. Stage 4: Reward – - Celebrate victories and reinforce positive outcomes. - Let the joy of accomplishment fuel your desire to repeat the behavior. - Embrace gratitude for the journey, not just the destination. Thank you for reading! This framework helped me breakdown exactly why I get stuck in the WRONG looops, so I can replace them with the RIGHT ones.

The third time was 'the charm' for me... after failing fast in two prior attempts to start a daily writing habit for one month. Do you have a new habit you'd like to make stick? ***5 things that made it possible for me to FINALLY stick with my new habit*** 1- Daily 'sacred' hour devoted to my new habit • Choosing this time = commitment and increased odds I would actually write. • My best time of day to write is very early because (1) I am never interrupted and (2) I am most focused + creative then. • This is just one of the genius ideas of the #ship30for30 writing course run by Dickie Bush 🚢 and Nicolas Cole 🚢🏴☠️. 2- Habit stacking - I ate breakfast ONLY AFTER I posted • I always eat the same breakfast, same time. I 'stacked' my new writing habit with that engrained habit. With a twist - I had to write first, then eat! • You must re-read James Clear's fabulous book #AtomicHabits for more! 3- Cohort support - Started my habit with 1k other people • Learning the daily digital writing habit with a cohort = support, motivation, new friends 4- Visual tracker - Not 'breaking the chain' motivated me immensely • Checking off that box after I wrote/posted was a HUGE motivator. See image. • Eying the 30 day tracker on my desk reinforced my success + kept me writing. 5- Mindset - I believed writing daily would blast me out of feeling stuck* • When I feel stuck - taking on a new challenge re-connects me with myself. • It worked! I'm back to being ridiculously curious, wildly enthusiastic and sharing "3 tips on how to do... all sorts of things better." FOR ALL OF US sticking with a new habit feels good + leads to great things. What new habit would you like to start today? It's 30 days away. This is Day 30 of my 30 day writing sprint... I posted every day and I'm not stopping. 😁 💪