Lasting habits are built on systems, rather than goals
Written by Dr. Joe Kim, Associate Professor, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour
Have you ever looked around your living space and declared to yourself, “today is the day I finally get this placed decluttered!” Sounds like a perfect pandemic project. With this goal in mind, you set about to clean, purge, and organize. At the end of this task, you take a moment to revel in the satisfaction of a job well done. The floors are clear, the books look immaculate on the bookshelf and you finally know where to find the scissors. But part of you knows that this hard won victory is fleeting — soon enough, your living space will once again become a mess. You had the best of intentions, so what happened?
While you may have achieved your goal you need to establish a system of processes that cumulatively lead to long-term results. As discussed by James Clear in Atomic Habits, your outcomes are a lagging measure of your habits. Not giving in to an impulse purchase saves you money now. But your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Choosing a balanced dinner for tonight is good for your health. But your fitness is a lagging measure of your health habits. And yes, your clutter situation is a lagging measure of your tidy habits.
Let’s consider the steps it takes to establish a system for good habits that lead to long-term results. One of the health habits I wanted to develop was a daily meditation practice. Without a system, I struggled and only had my good intentions to remember to try and squeeze in a moment during my busy day. A better plan was to make a commitment to establish a system, by answering 3 questions: How can I cue the habit? How can I streamline the habit? How can I reinforce the habit?
A cue reminds you to engage in the habit. Time of day and location can do the trick. I decided that I would meditate first thing in the morning. As I woke up from a full night of restful sleep (now there’s a worthy habit to establish!), my phone alerted me to open my meditation app which was ready with a track I had selected the night before. This set-up streamlined the habit so there’s little thinking or opportunities for excuses. After completing my meditation practice, I reinforced the habit with my morning cup of coffee. An established habit is an automatic behaviour. Sure enough, after a couple of weeks, I no longer had to think about my meditation practice, it just happened first thing in the morning. While a single mediation practice session did not change my outlook on life, cumulatively, it’s had a restorative effect and I’ve since expanded the habit to include an afternoon practice as well. This habit has become part of the identity of who I want to become for both my present and future self.
What habit will you set-up a system to establish?
Put your system to the test with our habit-building 1887 Challenge — Spring Fling! Open to the entire McMaster community, learn from experts how to implement positive habits around nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mindfulness. The Challenge runs from May 4–31. Sign up now!
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Joe Kim is an Associate Professor in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University and is actively involved in the scholarship of teaching and learning. He co-ordinates the innovative McMaster Introductory Psychology program which combines traditional lectures with interactive on-line resources and small group tutorials. As well, he directs the Education and Cognition Lab and organizes the annual McMaster Conference on Education & Cognition.
