Have you ever felt determined and enthusiastic about establishing a new habit, only to find yourself repeatedly stumbling along the way? 

I vividly remember the time I set out to establish a habit of waking up early each morning. I was excited about the possibility of reclaiming precious hours and achieving new levels of success. I armed myself with multiple alarms and committed to an early bedtime. 

Yet, despite my best efforts, I soon found myself surrendering to the snooze button and slipping back into the comforting embrace of my old routine. Day after day, I battled against the temptation of extra sleep with the disheartening realization that my intentions were outpacing my actions weighing on me.

If you’ve experienced this familiar struggle, rest assured, you’re not alone. Behavior change is undeniably challenging. I wrestled with the difficulty of altering my own habits until I learned the invaluable insights that I’m excited to share with you today.

In this post, we’ll explore how habits form, the transformative shift toward identity-based habits, and my three strategies for building sustainable habits that last.

How Do Habits Form?

Changing habits can be challenging because much of the time, we’re not even aware that they’re forming. According to a study conducted by Duke University, a significant portion—about 45%—of our daily activities are habitual, meaning we’re being driven by our subconscious mind for nearly half of our waking hours.

💡Think of your subconscious as your mind’s autopilot—it conserves mental and physical energy by repeating behaviors and patterns that have proven useful in the past. Biologically speaking, our bodies want to preserve energy whenever possible, hence why we operate on autopilot so often.

But how exactly do habits form? It starts with a cue or trigger, to which we then respond by performing a behavior. If that behavior serves us in a positive way, our subconscious stores this information in our brains, so that the next time we encounter a similar trigger, it instinctively knows how to respond with little thought or energy. 

This process is happening all of the time, with little awareness on our part. The tricky thing is, our subconscious doesn’t always discern what is positive for us in the short-term vs. what is positive for us in the long-term, making it challenging to close the gap between our positive intentions and our real-life actions. 

The good news is, our brains are highly adaptable, and with focus, repetition, and dedication, you can reprogram your brain to reinforce the habits that you consciously choose for yourself. Keep reading to learn how.

Shifting Toward Identity-Based Habits

Before diving into the strategies and tools for strengthening your new habits, it’s essential to reframe our mindset around habits from being outcome-based to identity-based. What do I mean by that?

Outcome-based habits are focused on achieving a specific result. For instance, creating a reading habit with a goal to read 12 books in a year is an outcome-based habit. 

On the other hand, identity-based habits, a concept pioneered by habit expert and author of “Atomic Habits,” James Clear, aim to reinforce a specific identity. For example, instead of merely aiming to read a certain number of books, you adopt the identity of a reader, which embraces a broader commitment to incorporating reading into your lifestyle.

The power of using identity-based habits lies in the inherent desire to maintain your self-image. This shifts our awareness away from the outcome and toward the process, empowering us with the motivation to uphold the version of ourselves that we are aspiring to be long term.

Identity-Based Habits In Action

To see identity-based habits in action, let’s revisit my journey with waking up early. 

Initially, despite my best intentions, I found myself succumbing to the allure of the snooze button. However, upon discovering the concept of identity-based habits, I made a conscious decision to align myself with the identity of a successful person, recognizing that successful individuals prioritize waking up early.

The following morning, when faced with the temptation to snooze, I challenged myself with a simple question: “What would a successful person do?” This shift in mindset empowered me to resist the urge to stay in bed and instead wake up promptly. Day after day, I continued to awaken with a renewed sense of purpose, driven by the intrinsic motivation to reaffirm my identity as a successful person.

Embracing identity-based habits is a transformative mindset shift for cultivating sustainable habits. While this shift alone could be enough to create lasting change, let’s explore some actionable strategies and tools that can complement this approach on your journey toward habit mastery.

Building Sustainable Habits That Last

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

James Clear

Building sustainable habits boils down to creating effective systems. Systems are the everyday processes you apply to support your habits. When constructing systems, keep these three strategies in mind:

1. Simplify: Make it Easy
2. Progress: Celebrate Your Wins
3. Adapt: Identify and Overcome Obstacles

Each strategy has numerous tactics you can use to build a system that supports your new habit. Let’s take a closer look at some of those here!

Simplify: Make it Easy

When establishing a new habit, minimizing friction (or, conversely, when breaking a habit, maximizing friction) is crucial to your success. It may not seem obvious at first, but if you dig deep, you can almost always make any process 1% easier. Here are several proven tools you can use to make choosing your new habit the easy choice:

Micro Habits 

A common pitfall when starting a new habit is attempting to take on too much at once. To overcome this challenge, consider incorporating what BJ Fogg, Behavior Scientist at Stanford University and author of Tiny Habits, calls micro habits – tiny actions that take less than 60 seconds to complete. By focusing on just showing up, you can pave the way for the development of larger habits over time.

Examples:

Desired Habit	Micro Habit
Workout for 30-mins every day	Put on my workout clothes
Read a chapter every day	Read a page
Journal daily	Write down one thing I’m grateful for
Keeping the house clean	Tidy up a small area

Habit Stacking

Pair your new habit with an existing habit you already perform regularly to seamlessly integrate it into your daily routine. By linking your new behavior with an established one, you can leverage the momentum of existing habits to facilitate the adoption of your new one.

Examples:

• “After I brush my teeth, I will meditate.”
• “After I get home from work, I will immediately put on my workout clothes.”
• “After I get in bed, I will read.”
• “While I listen to a podcast, I will do the dishes.”
• “While I watch TV, I will do crunches.”

Environment

Research suggests that establishing a habit in a new environment is often more manageable than overcoming the constraints of a current one. To increase your likelihood of success, take proactive steps to shape the spaces that you spend time in frequently, making it easier to adopt your desired habit.

Examples:

Desired Habit	Environment Shift
Morning workout	Lay out your workout clothes before bed in a location where they’re easily accessible.
Meditation practice	Create a dedicated meditation nook to facilitate your practice.
Reading before bed	Keep your book by your bedside for convenient access and encouragement to read before sleep.
Watch less TV	Reposition your furniture to face away from the TV or cover the TV with a sheet.
Morning yoga	Lay out your mat the night before, making it easy to begin your practice in the morning.

Accountability

Research conducted by the Association for Talent Development reveals that individuals who share their goals with someone else are 65% more likely to achieve them. This likelihood increases to an impressive 95% when they commit to specific accountability appointments with their chosen partner.

Establishing accountability can take various forms, each providing you with support and encouragement to keep you on track:

• Use a commitment device: Lock in your desired behavior by committing to it in advance. For example, committing to meeting a friend at a 7am workout class, creates external accountability, and significantly increases the likelihood you will follow through on your exercise goals.
• Partner with an accountability partner: Regular check-ins with a trusted friend provide encouragement, support, and a shared sense of responsibility, enhancing each of your commitments to your goals.
• Enlist the support of a coach: A professional coach offers personalized guidance, support, and accountability tailored to your specific goals and challenges, helping you navigate obstacles and stay on track.
• Track your habits with a habit tracker: Maintain personal accountability to your habits by using a habit tracker to monitor your progress and identify patterns over time.

Progress: Celebrate Your Wins

The Progress Principle indicates that focusing on your progress, even small wins, fosters a sense of achievement and can significantly boost your motivation and self-esteem. With identity-based habits, each time you recognize a small win, not only are you improving your motivation to stick with your new habit, but you are also reinforcing your new identity.

James Clear puts it this way: 

“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

You can acknowledge your wins through various methods, such as:

• Tracking your progress with a habit tracker
• Maintaining a daily journal
• Conducting regular retrospectives
• Assembling your own “hype file” of accomplishments

For further insights on celebrating your progress, check out this related blog post.

Adapt: Identify and Overcome Obstacles 

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

Vince Lombardi

Whenever you set out to change your behavior, encountering resistance is inevitable. Therefore, the ability to adapt is essential to creating habits that last. Building a resilient system requires anticipating and preparing for inevitable breakdowns, ensuring a clear path to recovery.

Identifying Obstacles

Identifying your obstacles is the first step to overcoming them. When you set out to change your behavior, think about potential obstacles that may come up so that you can prepare to face them. Obstacles may manifest in various forms, but there are some common themes to look out for:

• Unsupportive Relationships: Your closest relationships can either support or hinder your efforts to establish new habits. Take notice of any negative influences or lack of understanding from friends and family as they may pose significant barriers to your progress. 

• Time Constraints: Busy schedules, work commitments, and personal obligations can easily disrupt your efforts to prioritize new habits. Notice if you catch yourself thinking, “I don’t have enough time for this” or “I’m too busy.”

• Resource Limitations: Insufficient resources, whether financial, material, or informational, can impede your ability to effectively adopt new habits. Notice if you catch yourself making excuses like, “I’ll workout when I can afford to get a gym membership” or “I would meditate but I don’t know how.”

Overcoming Obstacles

Your ability to adapt and recover in the face of setbacks, will ultimately determine whether or not you stick with your habit. Once you’ve identified the obstacles that you may or will encounter, plan for how you will work through these challenges. Here are several proven tactics to overcome any obstacle:

Rehearse 

Take proactive steps by rehearsing your responses to the potentially unsupportive relationships you identify. By practicing your reactions in advance, you’ll have the confidence and clarity needed to navigate these conversations effectively. 

Schedule 

Make time for your new habit by adding it to your schedule. Front-load your day or week to tackle the important tasks early on, giving yourself a buffer for unexpected time constraint challenges that may arise later on.

Be Flexible 

Understand that unforeseen circumstances are inevitable. Avoid falling into an all-or-nothing mindset, and instead, embrace flexibility in your approach. For example, if you have to miss your morning walk, you could go for an evening walk, and if that doesn’t work, you could give yourself a little grace and hop right back to it the next morning. 

Refine 

Even if you establish the “perfect” system initially, new environments will introduce new distractions or temptations. Periodically refine your system, reflecting on what’s working and what’s not working, to maintain alignment with your goals.

Summary and Getting Started with Habits

Throughout this post, you’ve gained insights into how habits form, the importance of shifting to identity-based habits, and practical strategies and tools to cultivate lasting habits. Now, it’s time for you to build your own sustainable habits.

First, envision the person you aspire to become and identify the habits that align with this vision. Start small with one habit and then build from there. As you embark on changing your desired behavior, consider the following questions:

1. Simplify: How can I make this habit easy to integrate into my daily routine?
2. Progress: How will I track and celebrate my progress along the way?
3. Adapt: What obstacles might I encounter, and how will I navigate through them?

Remember, changing your behavior and establishing sustainable habits requires dedication and sustained effort, but the rewards are well worth it. Embrace the process, stay resilient, and keep moving forward on your path to personal growth and fulfillment. 

**If you’re using Notion, I’ve prepared a special habit tracker template just for you. Simply follow the instructions to make a copy and personalize it for your own use. 

What habit will you build this year? Share it below and let’s encourage each other on this journey! ✨

Resources

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

Dare to Lead Podcast – Brené with James Clear on Atomic Habits