Habit and Identity: Become the Person You Want to Be
To get started, James and I talked about what exactly our habits are and how they’re formed. He likes to compare our habits to the idea of compound interest.
“‘Habits are the compound interest of self improvement.’ So, the same way that compound interest accrues through finance, the effects of your habits multiply over time.” – James Clear
So whatever our habits are, their effects tend to get bigger and bigger over time. That’s why the more often we allow ourselves to indulge in sugary treats, the more we gain weight. That’s also why the more we get out to the gym, the easier it is to make time for that workout.
But why are some bad habits so much easier to fall into than good habits? Turns out, James had a really great answer to that, too:
“And that’s actually a crucial point that I cover in the book, which is: Habits that are immediately satisfying are more likely to be repeated. And so, pretty much any behavior produces outcomes across time. Like, if you eat a doughnut right now, it’s tasty and sugary, but in the long run, you gain weight. And so the immediate outcome is favorable, the long term outcome is unfavorable.” – James Clear
So, if we tend toward behaviors that feel good immediately, how can we build habits that will have better long-term effects? We all want to be the kind of people who make healthy eating choices, keep our rooms clean, and exercise a little every day. But if those things are less fun immediately, then how can we motivate ourselves to do them? Can we change our thinking so that we get that immediate satisfaction from making healthy decisions?
James thinks so. He says:
“I talk about this concept I call ‘identity based habits,’ and, essentially, the ultimate form of immediate gratification is the reinforcement of your desired identity. So, you go to the gym, and you’re reinforcing the identity of, ‘I’m the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts,’ … so you want reinforcements that align with your principles and values.” – James Clear
So according to James, the key to building good habits is to change our thinking a little bit. We may think that the immediate outcome of eating a doughnut is more fun. We think that a sugary treat will make us happy. But if we realize that by eating that doughnut we’re reinforcing the identity of someone who doesn’t make healthy eating choices… well, that will make us feel worse.
If, instead, we have a nice healthy breakfast, we’re reinforcing the identity of a person who makes healthy choices. That’s the desired identity, right? So if we realize that making good choices will immediately make us feel good about the identity we’re reinforcing for ourselves, we can get that instant gratification and keep building those good habits to become exactly who we want to be!
The Five Best Habits
So what are some good places to start? James and I talked through his top five non-negotiable habits, and I think they could be really helpful for all of us.
The first habit James mentioned was exercising. Maybe that’s not a big surprise to you, but it is still super important. Now I know James likes to do a lot of strength training, but for you it might be something different. You might like running or bicycling or dancing or something else! The important thing is that you’re moving and getting a “physical outlet,” as James says.
Now, this next good habit is a big deal, and even though James didn’t mention it first, he did call it the “ultimate habit” …
“The ultimate habit is reading, because if you build a habit of reading, you can solve pretty much any other problem. You want to learn to be a better podcaster? You can read about that. … And so what you need is to develop a habit of reading, and then, whatever problem you’re facing at the time, you have a method for solving that.” – James Clear
Reading is a big deal. Just like you have to exercise your body, you have to exercise your mind, and reading is a great way to do that. Making just a little bit of time every day to read a book is an awesome habit to build.
Right alongside that is James’ third non-negotiable habit: writing. Remember that James only became an expert on the subject of habits by reading up on them and writing his newsletter every week. He exercised his mind and gained a lot of knowledge, just by developing those great habits.
The fourth major habit for James is going for a walk every day. And this is different from daily exercise. Exercising is about really working out your body and trying to improve your physical fitness. This daily walk that James mentioned is more about getting outside and clearing your head.
“Well, you see this with anybody who does creative work, in particular, there’s just something about getting outside and walking. … when your body is moving, it’s very hard for you to not be active mentally.” – James Clear
So get in the habit of going outside just a few minutes a day and taking a nice walk! And if the weather is bad, take a walk around your office building or even just around your house. Getting your body moving is a great way to stay mentally active so you can keep bringing your best to your work.
And finally, James’ last non-negotiable habit: sleep. James says, “my cardinal rule is that I don’t cheat myself on sleep.” Seriously, getting those eight hours can make a huge difference in your productivity and well-being. Make it a habit to get to bed and wake up on time.
So How Can You Get Started?
So we’ve talked about how we can change our thinking and about some great habits we can all go ahead and get started building in our lives, but what are some practical things we can do right now?
Of course, James had a couple of really great pieces of advice.
One thing that’s incredibly important as you’re trying to start and reinforce good habits as a community. Check out what James says:
“So the key, I think, is to join a group where your desired behavior is the normal behaviour and you already have something else in common with that group.” – James Clear
James used Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness as an example. Steve runs a community for people who want to get in shape and who also have a shared excitement for things like Star Wars and Batman. The people in the Nerd Fitness community are already friends because they bond together over their shared favorite movies and comics, so they can be really mutually encouraging as they get in shape.
This idea can work no matter what good habit you’re trying to get into. Are you trying to go to the gym more often? Find a group of people from your workplace or school who like to work out and go with them. You’ll make some great friends and have people holding you accountable to your new habits.
The other you can do is make the new habit “frictionless,” to borrow a word from James. Let me explain: James says that the best way to get a new good habit going is to simply to make it easy.
“… the easier a habit is, the less friction there is associated with the habit, the more likely you’re going to be able to do it. … Make it as easy as possible.” – James Clear
Now, there are a ton of ways to make good habits as easy to start as possible. One is to follow James’ “Two-Minute Rule.” That’s where you should down scale your expectations to whatever you can do in two minutes. James uses the example of someone who wants to develop a habit of running. That person might make it a goal simply to spend two minutes putting on some good running shoes and stepping outside… any actual running is extra. That way, the goal is set low, and the person is less likely to become discouraged and abandon the habit of running.
James says that you can also optimize your environment to support your new habit. Let’s go back to the example I used in the beginning. Let’s say that every day you walk by an open box of doughnuts on your way to your desk. But what if you took a different route to your desk? Or kindly asked that the doughnuts be placed in a kitchen area or in a different area of the room? What if you walked into work carrying your healthy breakfast, already ready to eat? That way, you’ll be less tempted to take one of those unhealthy doughnuts, and you’ll be reinforcing a healthy habit.
Why You Should Listen Right Now…
We all have things we wish we did more often. Maybe you want to become a painter, but it’s hard to make time to pull out the paints and canvas every day. Maybe you really enjoy running, but you find it tough to put on those sneakers and get outside.
And whatever it is that you want to do, I’m sure that you, like me, have experienced discouragement. It’s too easy to try something, to tell ourselves we just have to have enough grit, enough motivation, enough willpower… but eventually we run out of steam. Or maybe you don’t burn out, and you do eventually achieve your goal… but then old habits set back in, and you undo all that great progress you made.
Here’s what James Clear says about that:
“So it’s like treating a symptom without treating the cause, and habits are a better solution in that case. Because if you fix the inputs, the outputs fix themselves automatically, right? You don’t have to fight to have a clean room if you have clean habits.” – James Clear
Are you tired of setting goals and trying to achieve them by willpower alone? Ready to kick some old bad habits and develop the new good ones you need to be the greatest you can be?
Me too. Join me on Episode 701 with James Clear to learn how.
To greatness,
