In James Clear’s bestselling book, Atomic Habits, he makes the case that there is an “easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones.” Transform your organization – and your own leadership – with the power of positive habits.

Aristotle said “we are what we repeatedly do”, suggesting that excellence is a habit rather than an act. If who we are is made up of our repeated acts, it stands to reason that we can improve ourselves, our lives, and the impact we have on others by evaluating our habits and making positive changes.

In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, he notes that there are four stages of habit formation: noticing, wanting, doing, and liking.

Noticing (Cue)

Take notice of what kicks off your good (and bad) habits – the cue. A cue triggers our brain to initiate a behaviour geared at finding a reward.

To create a new habit, begin planning when, where, and how you’ll do something rather than waiting to feel motivation. For example, if you want to read more, place a book on your pillow when you make your bed to encourage you to read before bedtime.

Wanting (Craving)

Our environment influences our desires – we want things because they’re an option. Knowing this, you can be the architect of your environment rather than the victim. For instance, if you want to increase the time you spend writing and creating, and decrease the amount of time you spend watching television, look at where your writing area is, and where your television is. Creating an attractive space for writing might mean a separate space than watching television!

Doing (Response)

Make it as easy as possible to get started. If you are constantly fighting against distraction, it’s going to be very hard to gain traction. Add friction to cravings that take away from good habits and remove friction from actions that make up good habits. In short, make it easier (and therefore more likely) to experience and act on healthy cravings.

Liking (Reward)

We repeat behaviours that we enjoy . The long-term reward (an end-goal) is often far in the future, so we need to build in smaller rewards early and often. In the words of author Seth Godin, “The best way to change long-term behaviour is with short-term feedback.” (Comedian Jerry Seinfeld uses a similar concept – see links below).

Looking at actions over time as an investment in ourselves, consider that minor improvement is like making regular contribution to a savings account – you’ll accrue compound interest. The reverse is also true, letting bad habits continue is a good way to “will ourselves almost to zero”.

Keep reading

• James Clear | Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
• lifehacker | Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret
• Wikipedia | Incrementalism