You’ve probably heard of Atomic Habits, the bestselling book by James Clear that explores how small, consistent actions can create lasting changes in our lives. At this time of the year, we usually think about big transformations when making our resolutions for the next year. These may be goals like losing weight, getting a promotion, or learning a new skill. These goals are great, but as Clear points out, big results come from tiny beginnings. Every habit we build starts with a single, simple decision. Over time, as these choices add up, they shape the person we become and the life we lead.

So, what actually are habits? These are small actions we repeat so often that they become automatic – like reading a few pages, walking a few steps, or putting stuff where they belong. Clear suggests starting with these instead of aiming to read a book a week, doing 10,000 steps a day, or cleaning your room weekly. We are more likely to stick to these two-minute habits because they are easy to do. Eventually, these small actions become part of your life and contribute to the realization of your bigger goals.

“Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become.”

How to make small habits that stick

Starting with small habits is effective especially when you focus on the following:

1. Consistency over intensity

   Instead of aiming for drastic changes, start small and stick with it. Small, consistent efforts compound over time. Clear describes this as “1% better every day.” Minor changes, when added up over time, lead to major improvements.

2. Systems instead of goals

   Goals are useful for setting direction, but they’re not enough to ensure progress. Goals focus on a destination, but once you hit that mark, motivation can fade. Systems, however, create a lasting routine. By focusing on the “how,” you’re setting yourself up for continuous improvement rather than a temporary win.

3. Build identity-based habits

   Long-lasting change is about who you want to become, not just what you want to achieve. Clear writes, “Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become.” Think about it this way: If you want to be a healthy person, each time you choose a nutritious meal or go for a walk, you’re reinforcing that identity. Or, if you want to be a more positive person, start by practicing gratitude each morning. Start by deciding the type of person you want to be, then prove it to yourself with small actions that align with that identity.

Copied from Small Habits, Steve Bartlett on Facebook

Understand the Four Laws of Behavior Change

Clear outlines a “habit loop” to help you understand how habits form. Once you understand these steps, you can create a practical framework that you can use to build good habits and stop bad ones. The loop is composed of four stages: cue, craving, response, and reward. To create positive habits, tweak each stage as follows:

• Make it obvious (Cue): Place visual reminders of your habit. Want to drink more water? Keep a water bottle on your work table. Want to ensure that you’ll attend your online language class every day? Set up daily reminders on your phone and get your notebook and pen ready on your desk.
• Make it attractive (Craving): Link habits to something enjoyable, like listening to a favorite podcast while exercising, or having tea and lighted candles in your reading nook.
• Make it easy (Response): Start small. If you want to read more, commit to a single page a day; if you want to improve your vocabulary, learn a new word every day.
• Make it satisfying (Reward): Reward yourself after completing a habit. This reinforces the action and encourages you to repeat it. Remember the Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change, “What is immediately rewarded is repeated. What is immediately punished is avoided.” However, make sure that the reward does not clash with your long-term vision. For example, if your vision is to become a healthy person, eating fast food after a workout is not a good reward.

The same loop applies to breaking a bad habit, but each step is the opposite:

• Make it invisible: Out of sight, out of mind, right? This can mean not stocking your fridge with soda if you want to be healthy, or storing your phone in another room if you want to limit your time on social media.
• Make it unattractive: Link your bad habit to something that is detrimental. For example, smoking causes bad breath, yellow teeth, and lung cancer.
• Make it difficult: Increase the number of steps you’ll need to go through to accomplish the bad habit. For example, to stop yourself from checking notifications or scrolling on your phone, don’t keep your social media accounts open. Instead, change your passwords and don’t autosave them. You can even decide to change your passwords every week as an extra challenge.
• Make it unsatisfying: Associate a negative consequence with your behaviour to stop yourself from doing it again. If you’ve resolved to save money, think about how one shopping spree can take you farther away from what you’re saving up for, like a vacation or retirement.

2025 is around the corner, and so is the opportunity for a new you. By focusing on small, intentional actions, you’re not only building better habits but also creating a version of yourself that can achieve lasting change. Remember: big things come from small beginnings. You can do it!

Source: Atomic Habits, James Clear.