Aristotle said it best:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Whether you know it or not, many of the actions you perform throughout your day are habits. A study conducted by Duke University found that on average, habits account for 45% of our daily behavior. Most of us do not ever think about our habits and those that do, usually focus on the bad ones that have already formed. Breaking bad habits is important but what is even more important is intentionally creating good ones.
At the heart of the Aristotle quote is the insight that each of our identities is tied to the actions that we take. If we are what we do, and habits make up 45% of what we do, then our habits are a large indicator of who we are. The habit with the most impact on our identity is our work. Some of you are lawyers, consultants, doctors, moms, and dads. You have earned these titles because they relate to the activity you do the most.
Once you realize there is a direct connection between your actions and identity, you begin to think about habits proactively instead of reactively. James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits has spent a decade studying how habits form. From his studies, he has determined that the key to developing good habits is to create the right environment. In his book, Clear describes the best environment as one that makes taking an action obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Each of these characteristics helps to promote continuous action which will eventually result in a habit. Describing these characteristics is easy but implementing them is hard. Let’s talk through how to create this kind of environment so that you can be more intentional about developing the person you want to become.
Building the Right Environment
Making an action obvious means that it is front and center. If you want to become a better runner, keeping your running shoes in the closet and workout clothes in a drawer will not help. You want to make the action unavoidable. Another great way to make an action obvious is to perform it at the same time and in the same place every day. If you want to read more, pick a favorite chair and a specific time each morning to set aside 30 minutes and do it. We are creatures of consistency and if we tie an action to a time and place, we are more likely to repeat it.
Even if an action is obvious, it does not make it attractive. The best way to make an action attractive is through temptation building. Temptation building works by linking an action you want to do with an action you need to do. If you wanted to write more, you could make that action more attractive by tying it to your morning cup of coffee. Over time you will connect writing to the pleasure of drinking coffee which will in turn make writing more attractive.
Making an action obvious and attractive can help you start preforming an action, but many people still stop before the action becomes a habit. We are often overwhelmed by change and the process of turning an action into a habit can be daunting. To help ourselves continue preforming the action, we need to start slow and make the action as easy as possible. A great way to make an action easy is to start doing 25% of what you would like to do. Lowering the bar to start will encourage you to come back and do the action every day. Over time you will improve and be able to increase the difficulty of the action. Eventually, you will be able to perform it at the level you desire.
Finally, actions need to be satisfying. People do things that are satisfying, and satisfaction comes from receiving a reward. People love instant gratification which is why taking actions who’s reward is far off into the future is not enjoyable. We often form bad habits, (those habits that do not serve the person we want to be) because of the instant gratification we receive right after preforming them. An excellent way to reinforce a good habit is to give yourself a reward after doing it. The reward should only be something you get after completing that act. When I wanted to run more, I would reward myself with a cold brew coffee. If I did not run, I did not get the cold brew.
Each one of us is the accumulation of our actions and habits are the most consistent actions we take. Take a moment and think about the actions you take every day. What they say about who you are? Where they are leading you? Is what you are doing propelling you toward the person you want to be? If not, consider changing your actions and turning the best ones into habits. Habit formation is difficult, but you can help yourself by adjusting your environment to make the action obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Starting with a single action and creating an environment that helps you do it consistently will make you the person you want to be. Remember that the habits you form today will determine who you are tomorrow.