Excited by the possibilities that a new year brings, many of us make resolutions and set New Year goals. However, evidence suggests that only 20% of people keep those resolutions and just 8% of people achieve their goals. Strava, the people behind the fitness app, have analysed huge amounts of data to predict that ‘Quitters’ Day’ this year will be Sunday 19th January. Why is it so difficult to stick to our intentions?
One of the most significant factors that can make or break a new behaviour is the power of habit – which is also the title of the best-selling book by Charles Duhigg. As he explains in this TED talk, 40-45% of decisions that we make are not decisions at all but are really just the ‘habit loop’ in operation. We see a cue, our brain whirs into action and kicks off a well-established behavioural routine to get the reward - all without any conscious thought.
The key to changing habits is to make good decisions ahead of time, when you are calm and rational. It is no use waiting until you’re famished to look for something to eat! Choose both the cue and the reward that you want. For example, at 12:30, I’ll eat the sandwich I’ve already prepared. The time is the cue, and the delicious, but now nutritious sandwich that you made when you were thinking about your new healthy habits, is the reward.
James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, has created a model that I think makes this idea more actionable.
He reminds us just how significant small changes can be, as incremental changes can lead to massive results over the long term. Using the analogy of marginal gains in sport, he clearly demonstrates that ‘Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement’.
This idea suggests that changing habits is not just about setting big compelling goals and having the willpower to tough them out, but is more usefully about consistently applying small changes to the processes and systems that you use to achieve those outcomes. It also means that it is easier to gather the evidence you need to prove to yourself that you are being the person you want to be. Each small success is another reinforcement of your beliefs, and changing beliefs is the most powerful source of behavioural change.
James Clear modifies the habit loop a little in a way that I think makes these ideas easier to work with.
Using this modified loop, we can see how to apply this model and turn Clear’s ‘Four Laws’ into actionable steps:
Cue - Make it obvious
Craving - Make it attractive
Response - Make it easy
Reward - Make it satisfying
There is a detailed explanation of each law and how they are applied in the Atomic Habits book, so I will not re-create them here. What I will share is the things that I’ve personally found easy and beneficial to apply.
Priming the environment
A concept both Duhigg and Clear focus on is priming the environment to make it easy to apply a new habit or difficult to engage in one that you’d like to replace. Pragmatically, it means reducing the friction or effort needed to engage in a new habit. For example, I lay out my sports kit, water, and protein shake before I go to bed, so that I can just roll out of bed and get to the gym, without even thinking about it.
Implementation Intention
Evidence suggests1 that we are more likely to stick to a habit if we make a precise plan for when, where and how we intend to implement it. A simple structure makes this easy…
I will [Action] at [Time] in [Location]
For example,
I will meditate for 1 minute, at 7am in my lounge
I will use the pomodoro technique, between 10:00 and 16:00, when I’m working at my desk
For some people adding a [With] can also help
I will go to the gym, at 6:00am on Tuesday morning, with my personal trainer.
Habit stacking
One technique that I have found particularly effective is habit stacking. This is attaching a new desired habit to an existing behaviour. I love drinking coffee, but have historically found it difficult to drink water with any consistency. So now every time I drink a cup of coffee, I have a glass of water. It is so easy, and it works!
This is the structure – After [current habit/behaviour], I will [new habit]
I have now created a few stacks:
When I go to bed, I put my phone on charge and out of reach.
When I stop at a red light, I take a deep and mindful breath.
When I fly, I put £8 aside to plant a tree.
Automation
Sometimes I’ve found that new habits don’t stick, because I just plain forget about them in my busy day-to-day activity. In this regard, I’ve found habit trackers very helpful. I currently use an app called Loop, which prompts me about a habit I want to cultivate, with a question that I’ve composed. For example, every day at 8:30 I see the question – ‘Have you set your key priorities for the day?’ pop up on my phone. Prioritising is an important aspect of my personal organisation, but I’d often found myself immediately getting stuck into things in the morning, usually by responding to whatever message I saw first. This simple prompt reminds me to stop and consider the 3 key things I’d like to achieve for that day.
Prompting is one useful aspect of the app, but tracking is even more important. I currently keep a record of about a dozen key habits that I want to engage in. The tracker makes it easy to see how consistent I’m being and there’s something satisfying about checking the affirmation button. Any other ‘list-tickers’ out there will know what I mean! There are quite a few apps available now. HabitShare might be one to look at for those who like to use commitments to others to help them stay on track.
While on the topic of automation, I also use MyfitnessPal to record my food intake and upload data from Wahoo for my exercise stats.
Reward
I find it helpful to reward myself for doing the things I know will make a difference, especially to my productivity. This is about process as well as outcome. To be more effective, I use my own version of the pomodoro technique. I set a timer for a period of focused uninterrupted effort, and when complete pop a marble in a jar and take a 5-minute break. In the break, I can check my messages, get a coffee (and water!), or whatever else I want to do. Dropping the marble is in itself strangely satisfying, but more importantly, when my marble jar is full, I reward myself with something I really like. It might be a book, a piece of sports equipment I’m interested in, or a little piece of luxury.
Summary
Resolutions and new year goals have a much better chance of sticking if you can turn keeping and achieving them into a habit. I hope the techniques that have worked for me, also help you. If you’d like to learn more, I’d recommend both the books mentioned above.
1 Gollwitzer, Peter M., et al. "How to maximize implementation intention effects." Then a miracle occurs: Focusing on behavior in social psychological theory and research (2010)