Takeaways from recent content we've discovered
Harness Your Habits
We talk a lot about our daily habits at Benchmark. Achieving better results usually means you need to do things differently, and do so consistently. But making even the smallest of changes to your habits day after day is very, very hard.
We just listened to Peter Attia’s interview with James Clear on The Drive podcast. Clear, who wrote the book Atomic Habits (which we highly recommend), discusses how we can harness our habits to achieve our goals, and ultimately make us proud of who we are. One month into New Year’s resolutions, it’s a good time to reflect on your own habits and consider how to make them work for you, rather than against you.
The episode delves into great detail on these topics, but here are a few of our biggest takeaways:
Goals vs. systems. Perhaps counterintuitively, Clear points out that goals are not the primary thing that drives results; after all, competitors all share the same goal of winning the race. He explains what makes the difference is in fact the system, the collection of daily habits that you follow in order to reach that goal. As Clear puts it, “fix the inputs, and the outputs will fix themselves.” Whereas the goal refers to a one-time success, the system (the methods used to achieve the goal), can ensure persistent, sustained success.
You are your habits. Clear explains that behaviors shape identity. If you begin going to the gym regularly, you start to see yourself as a “gym person.” We're inclined to avoid cognitive dissonance, discomfort when actions and values conflict, so small habits reinforce identity over time. Clear illustrates this with two people declining a cigarette: one says, “I’m trying to quit,” while the other says, “I’m not a smoker.” The latter, having embraced a new identity, is more likely to succeed.
Peer pressure is powerful. Just as the effect of self-identity can work for you or against you, so too can the influence of social norms. Humans are social; we naturally seek the approval of others, and strive to fit in with our social group. Clear suggests using this to your advantage, “join groups where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.” If you are a smoker trying to quit, surround yourself with non-smokers.
The 4 stages of a habit: cue, craving, response, reward. Understanding each stage involved in a habit can help you identify how to change it. The cue is what you notice that leads you to the habit. Clear uses the example of seeing a plate of cookies. The craving refers to how you interpret that cue, for example, anticipating the cookies sweetness, which motivates you to respond (with action or inaction), and this determines the resulting reward (or consequence).
Clear’s 4 laws of behavior change. To make habits stick, Clear says the the first rule is to “make it obvious”; identify the cues that will motivate your desired habit, and make those cues as obvious as possible (e.g., put your running shoes by your bed so you see them when you wake up). Surround yourself with the right cues that reinforce good habits. The next rule is to “make it attractive” (e.g., buy workout clothes that you love). The third is “make it easy” (e.g., join a gym next to your office). The last is “make it satisfying” (e.g., work out with a friend).
Forget failures. One of my favorite points, and one that came up often in last month’s discussion of Andy Ramage’s 28 days without alcohol, is to move past your failures and look ahead. Clear suggests containing failures to a time period. For example, a failure that happened last month should not impact how you evaluate this month. Consider what you learned from the failure, and look forward. If you miss one day, that’s ok; try not to miss two.
