“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.”
James Clear, Atomic Habits
Since I read this section years ago, I’ve been focusing on incremental small improvements. This may be no surprise since I talk about being healthier each day. Small habits over time lead to changes in how we behave, what we do, and who we become. Then, it’s meaningful change. We get to, or closer to, where and who we want to become.
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I’ve found that this concept works really well, especially when things get hard. There will always be hard things. We have to choose what hard we want to face. Do what we ought to do every day, and we have evidence of lots of wins, and we can face our hard.
For me, my small daily habits are voting to be a person that:
- goes to the gym regularly
- eats well
- has energy and focus
- Is able to recall interesting stories and facts
- has fun
- Engages in good conversations
- is fit and heathy
- has a loving family
It’s continually a focus of mine to build healthy habits and reduce ones that aren’t helpful. Here, the idea of a vote helps. We can think of ourselves as being on a quest. We gain experience and level up. Better habits can earn us experience points to level up. Reduce a bad habit, or even a habit that’s not aligned with where we want to go can be defeating a boss.
We know small, regular actions add up in the long run. A standard example is putting on muscle. Regular sessions at the gym, lifting heavy, increasing volume, over time will bulk us up. Eating well regularly over time will keep us healthy. Keeping the mind engaged will keep our memory sharp and ensure we have interesting stories to share.
When building new habits, we can also combine and anchor them together. If we want to increase our fitness, we can do 10 air squats when we watch an episode of our favourite TV show. Or, we could even go to the gym and watch it whilst on the treadmill or bike.
Building a habit of being able to focus means you are sharper at work, can be more productive in writing, can be more present in conversations and things you do.
Over time we will refine what we do. I tried morning journalling but it wasn’t really working. For me, a nightly reflection is much better.
We can combine small habits with the idea of nudging ourselves in the right direction. Changing our environment so it’s easier to make the choice we want to make. This could include:
- Having healthier snacks at eye levels
- Putting your phone face down on silent when you meet a friend
- Having your lunch packed the night before so it’s easier the next day if you need to rush out the door
- Using reminders on your phone to prompt you to do something quick – such as a few pushups, or squats, or take a few breathes
These are some of the ways we can build small habits. Let’s continue to gain experience and level up.