In this five-part blog series, we delve into the transformative power of habits as highlighted in the book, Atomic Habits. With just 1/5th of the book completed, we are already experiencing positive changes!
For those who missed our group discussion, we invite you to join our live Zoom sessions or watch the replays in our Facebook group.
Now, let's explore why the author, James Clear, places a greater emphasis on habits versus goals and how this approach can lead to sustainable success.
The Problem with Goals: Consider the scenario of asking your teenager to clean their room by Friday with the promise of a reward. While they may achieve the goal, it is only a temporary solution. Their underlying messy habits will continue to persist, requiring constant reinforcement. Alternatively, if we focus on instilling the habit of tidying up their room every morning before leaving for school, the goal of a consistently clean room becomes effortlessly achievable.
Applying the same principle to sales goals, setting an ambitious target for the year may lead to short-term success, but it often comes at the cost of burnout and unpredictable revenue. Instead, by determining the number of sales calls required to acquire 20 new customers each month, and dividing it across the working days, we can assign the daily habit of making a certain number of sales calls. With this approach, our revenue goal for January is easily met, ensuring sustainability and predictability.
The Power of Small Habits: Small habits, when consistently practiced, compound over time. By improving just 1% each day, you can become 37 times better within a year. This is why I am passionate about implementing efficient systems that promote ease, peace, and predictability. By refining these systems over time, we can achieve continuous improvement.
Behavior Change and Identity: James Clear emphasizes that the most effective way to instill behavior change is by making it part of your identity. Let me demonstrate with an example: when two smokers (who desire to quit) are offered a cigarette, one responds by saying "No thank you, I'm trying to quit" and the other one responds by saying, " No thank you, I am not a smoker". The one who responds, "No thank you, I am not a smoker," has a higher chance of successfully quitting. Your habits shape your identity, as every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become. Habits can change your beliefs about yourself, thereby transforming your potential for success.
The Four Laws of Behavior Change: Clear outlines the four essential components of behavior change: cue, craving, response, and reward.
For instance, when your phone buzzes with a new text message, the cue triggers a craving to know the message's content. The response is grabbing your phone and reading the message, which satisfies your craving. To break this habit, you can make the cue invisible by putting your phone on silent mode, associate the craving with negative consequences, make the response difficult by placing your phone in another room, and make the reward unsatisfying by recognizing the distractions it causes and how this will lead to never reaching your desired productivity outcome.
The opposite holds true as well! If I want to lose weight, I can hang a picture of my desired physique on the refrigerator door. The cue of seeing the picture triggers me to be mindful of my snack choice and I'll grab vegetables instead of fruit, thinking about the reward I will soon feel of being proud of the new bikini body I built.
Contrary to popular belief, a life full of habits is far from boring. By automating daily tasks and freeing up your conscious brain, you gain the ability to focus on problem-solving, strategic thinking, business growth, and enjoying the present moment. Habits empower sustainable success and allow you to become the person you aspire to be. Join us on this transformative journey by implementing positive habits in your life.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!
Assignment pgs 59-112
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Kristy