How do you create better habits for yourself?
I recently read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear and since the new year is upon us, I wanted to dig in a bit deeper. How do you create new and improved habits? Do you eliminate bad habits or replace them with something more positive? In the #CJJblog this week, I give you some tips and tricks on how you can go about creating better habits in 2026. Enjoy.
- Systems. Goals are important, but systems are critical to creating good habits. Goals are when you accomplish something once, but systems allow you to do things multiple times. Systems are a collection of habits you commit to. What current systems do you have in place?
- Questions. Are you asking yourself the right questions when creating your systems?
- What am I trying to accomplish?
- What am I optimizing for?
- Do I need to change my approach?
- What season of life am I in?
- What habits can I stick to on my worst day?
- Onions. Yes, habits are like onions. The outside layer is your goals, then your plan, and at the core is who you are becoming. You must develop an identity to develop these habits.
- Actions. Be biased toward taking small actions first. Every action is a vote to the person you want to become. How many votes are you giving yourself?
- Bad habits. Your bad habits are broken in stages. 1) Break them, 2) Reduce them, or 3) Replace them with something else.
- Group. Become part of a larger group for accountability. The power of the group will make you commit with conviction.
- Habit loop. Every habit travels in a loop: 1) The cue (trigger), 2) The craving, 3) The response, and 4) The reward. Don’t know where to start? Change the cue (trigger).
- Consistency. The four laws to help with your consistency are: 1) Make it obvious, 2) Make it attractive, 3) Make it easy to do, and 4) Make it enjoyable.
- Final Tips. Here are my final tips on maximizing your habits:
- Getting started, be uncomfortable with an action for five minutes
- Two-minute rule: Start by doing just two minutes of the new habit
- Never miss two days in a row
- Habit-stack by doing the hard things first, then reward yourself
- Take time to reflect and review your progress
Did You Know? You can check out an interview the author of Atomic Habits (James Clear) did on the Mel Robbins podcast HERE.
Life Tip #35: Use the CANEI Formula – Constant and Never-Ending Improvement
