Creating Habits That Stick

Mastering Your Goals Through Strong Habits

Why This Exercise Matters

Have you ever set an ambitious goal—like running a marathon or saving a certain amount of money—only to lose steam when motivation wanes? According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, success isn’t about willpower alone; it’s about building systems that make it easier to perform the actions that lead to your goals. When your habits are attractive, easy, and satisfying, you naturally stick to them and see results.

The Exercise Flow

Below are strategies, organised in 3 sections, to make your habits “stick” and move you closer to your goals. Pick and choose the ones that resonate with you, and see how quickly your new routines can become second nature:

1. Make Your Habit Attractive

2. Keep Your Habit Easy

3. Ensure Your Habit Is Satisfying

Detailed Prompts

1. Make Your Habit Attractive

• Make it specific, with a determined time & location
  Go from "I want to run more" to "On Mondays & Thursdays as of x date, I will run home from work"

• Pair the new habit with an existing one (habit stacking)
  If you need to remember to take your supplements daily, combine them with your established toothbrushing routine

• Join the right group culture
  If you want to journal more, join a journaling workshop (hint hint ;)) to benefit from positive group pressure from others who prioritise journaling

• Have a motivation ritual before a certain habit
  If you want to focus more, you can have a specific playlist for focus. With time, just the act of putting in your headphones will enable a more focused state.

2. Keep Your Habit Easy

• Reduce the friction of undertaking the task
  Meal prepping is so effective to enable a better diet, as having a healthy meal already at hand reduces friction

• Design your environment to enable the behaviour
  If you wish to watch less TV place the remote on the top shelf of a cupboard, only reachable by stepping on a stool

• Downscale a habit so it can be done in 2mins only
  If you want to read more, set a target to read one page per night - small increments over time will build your identity of a reader, leading you to read even more

• Master the decisive moment
  Focus your energy on leaving the house to walk towards the gym, as once you're on your way, you're 99% likely to work out

• Automate when possible
  If you want to grow your wealth, set up automatic monthly transfers to your investment portfolio

3. Ensure Your Habit Is Satisfying

• Notice how you feel after completing the habit
  Focus on the energy and endorphins after a workout, to help motivate you for the next one

• Reward yourself for completing a habit (reward must be consistent with your desired objective)
  If you want to file your taxes on time, schedule a massage on the day of the deadline, as a planned reward for completing them

• Track your habits
  Have a list of specific habits, which you check on a regular basis to ensure success and optimise further

Closing Thoughts

By combining these strategies—making your habits attractive, easy, and satisfying—you can build a strong, lasting system to achieve your goals, even when motivation dips. If you’d like more support in shaping your ideal identity and routines:

• Schedule a free 1:1 session in January to discover my coaching approach risk-free: https://lnkd.in/e_XS_gyx

• Join my weekly journaling workshops, every Monday at 6:30pm: https://lnkd.in/eyfPVS8Q

Pick one principle to try this week, and watch how small changes add up to big results. Happy habit-building!