Choosing Your Habits

The Art of Change

Reaching for goals, and achieving our aims, is never easy. We need to create the capability, the opportunity, and the motivation.

Setting goals is crucial for getting things done but often need to be underpinned by a new set of habits.

According to James Clear, in Atomic Habits, to make a behavior into a habit, it must be:

• Obvious
• Attractive
• Easy
• Satisfying

So, ask yourself the following:

• What intention would I like to turn into a habit?
  For example, I would like to go running twice a week for the next month.
• What existing habit do I have that I could turn into a trigger?
  For example, when I reach my lunch break.
• What makes it more attractive? Or what do I want from it?
  For example, I want to lose some weight for my summer vacation.
• What would make it easier?
  For example, I’ll arrange to meet a running group.
• What’s my reward?
  For example, I’m going to treat myself to some new (slimmer) clothes for my holiday

So, now you have a trigger, a motivation, something to make it easy, and a reward for turning your intention into a habit.