Creating good habits is a fairly easy task. Making them stick, however, is a different story. According to the author James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, there are four ways that we can create, and keep good habits:
1. Make them attractive
2. Make them obvious
3. Make them easy
4. Make them satisfying
We will go over each one by one, and explain how these can help change our mind
1. Make it attractive:
Making a habit attractive is a great way to achieve our goal of making a habit stick. We are the sum of who we surround ourselves with daily (friends, family, spouse, social media, etc.). So what this means is, if we have friends or family who are adamantly against exercise, or find excuses not to do it, we are more likely than not going to side with them. It is very difficult in society to go against the grain and do something that the people you are around each day have no interest in doing.
One of the best ways to break free from this is to join an environment that is welcoming and accepting of people who go through this. Surrounding yourself with people who are passionate about exercise and are looking to better themselves is one of the best ways to ensure that you too will follow that trend. Finding people who will support you on this new journey will make a new habit such as exercise attractive and will make you want to continue coming back for more.
It’s important to remember when starting a new habit that outlook is everything. If we are forcing ourselves to do something in spite of not wanting to, we are exhausting our will power each and every time we perform that task. By simply flipping the script on the SAME task, we can completely change. For example, but telling yourself and hearing from others, that exercise isn’t enjoyable, we will convince ourselves that this is true. On the transverse, if we reinforce positive thoughts around exercise, we will be open to the idea that there is in fact, enjoyment in exercising and our goals around this will become more attractive and much more attainable.
2. Make it obvious:
One of the best ways to make a habit obvious is to do what James Clear calls Habit Stacking. This is when we stack a new desired habit with a habit that we do every day. For example, if you really want to commit to a morning mediation or stretching routine you can say to yourself, “Today after I pour my cup of coffee, I will do 5 minutes of meditation while it cools down.”
You have already done one of your daily habits, pour your cup of coffee. Why not stack a new habit while it cools off? If five minutes is too much time, start with 3 minutes, or even 1 minute! The point is, you have started a new habit and once you get into a routine you can always do it for a longer period. Make your habit obvious by stacking it with a habit you do every morning, and before you know it you have a new, productive habit in your tool box.
3. Make it easy:
We all have excuses to not do something, especially first thing in the morning. “I didn’t get enough sleep, my clothes are all in the washing machine, I can’t find my keys, I can’t find my running shoes.”
Reducing friction means removing any obstacle that your future self is likely to turn into an excuse. An extremely effective example of this is staging. Staging is preparing everything you need in the morning, the night before. By setting aside your clothes, meal prepping, positioning your running shoes right next to your bed, and having your gym bag packed and ready, you are removing the small obstacles that could tip the scales towards hitting the snooze button instead of waking up for a workout.
In the beginning stages of habit forming, we’re extremely sensitive to obstacles. By removing them ahead of time, we’re making habits easy.
4. Make it satisfying:
One of the biggest takeaways we can give you from this piece is to not completely get rid of the things you love. Life is about moderation, that goes for everything including nutrition. We see too many people fail when it comes to a new diet because they tell themselves they can’t have the things that they love.
The best way to make a habit satisfying, while also allowing yourselves to have the things you love is to use those vices as a reward. Setting a milestone with a friend, a spouse, or a personal trainer, and then using something as a reward can be a complete gamechanger. If you love pizza, or soda, or wine, use those as a guilt free reward after you’ve completed a milestone that you, and an accountability partner, have set. It can be something big like, lose 50 pounds, or workout at least 3 days a week for 2 months. It could also be something small like, go to bed before 10:00pm every night, or take the stairs every day for a month.
Using something you love as a reward for a milestone is one of the best ways to make any habit stick.
Let’s recap. The four ways to make a good habit stick are:
1. Make it attractive – You are the sum of the people who surround you, so surround yourself with people who are working towards a similar goal and will support you in your new journey.
2. Make it obvious – Use habit stacking. Stack a new desired habit such as a morning stretch or meditation routine with a habit you already do daily, such as making your coffee or tea. While the coffee or tea cools down, take the few minutes you have to spare to stretch or meditate. The more consistent you are with it, the longer you will be able to do it each day.
3. Make it easy – Remove the friction! Setting your clothes out the night before with your keys and running shoes will take the stress out of looking for each of those before you have to leave in the morning.
4. Make it satisfying – Don’t give up the things you love. Use those vices as a reward for a milestone. Having a guilt free slice of pizza or 2-3 glasses of wine after you’ve achieved something is a great way to keep a good habit, and not feel bad about eating something you truly enjoy.