How do we break a big goal down into daily habits that stick

It’s all well and good setting big audacious goals. Writing our dreams down on paper and saying we will achieve them. It’s also a great start to change our mindset to a growth mindset and truly start to believe we can achieve these goals. Actually achieving them? Well that’s another ball game.

“We are what we repeatedly do… therefore excellence is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant - Author (interpreting the words of Aristotle)

How can we set ourselves up each day to achieve big things? How do we break down the big goals into daily actions that utilise consistency and momentum to make big things happen? With habits. Little, daily, atomic, habits.

You can be 365% better in a year by being 1% better each day

What if I told you you could be 37 times better in a year? Be 37X better a kick flips, frontside hacks, 50:50s on rails, or handing that corner? You’d be pretty hyped right? Well, I’m telling you right now, it’s possible.

You probably also want to know how do we break a big goal down into smaller goals, and why habits so hard to keep, and how to create habits that stick

“Habits are like the entrance ramp to a highway. They lead you down a path and, before you know it, you’re speeding toward the next behaviour.” – James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits

It’s all about how you set up your habits. Goals are the things we want to achieve, and habits, they’re the systems that allows us to get there.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals. Your fall to the level of your systems (habits)” – James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits

How to create habits that stick

Set your destination before you set your habits

One of the big mistakes is focusing on small steps and hoping they will get you where you want to go, rather than focusing on where you want to go and then working out the steps to get there. By setting your top level goals and destination first, you also then have the ability to hack the habit forming process. You can do this by focusing your attention on who you want to become, rather than what you need to do.

e.g. Rather than saying ‘I need to do a workout every day’, start saying ‘I want to be the type of person who exercises everyday’ and then try to surround yourself with those people.

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become” – James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits

Build a Habit with 4 simple steps:

Make the cue for the habit OBVIOUS. Put your training shoes by the front door, put the yoga mat out in front of the TV, write a reminder on your surfboard.
Make the habit ATTRACTIVE. Tie it to the identity of who you want to become and give yourself a reward for doing it.
Make it EASY to start and complete. Rather than aiming to suddenly do 200 push ups a day, aim to do 2. You’ll soon be doing 10, then, 20, then 100, then 200. The more times you complete a task the closer it is to becoming a habit.
Make it SATISYFING. Start or finish the habit with something you enjoy to help get a dopamine response that leaves you feeling good. When you feel good after a habit, you’re more likely to repeat it in the future.

“You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” – James Clear - Author of Atomic Habits

Top tips for extra sticky habits:

Habit Stack by adding on new desired habits onto existing habits. e.g. when I brush my teeth, I will do 20 air squats. Whilst I’m eating my breakfast, I will visualise my contest win.
Start Small with the 2 minute rule by committing to just a 2 minute action for your goal each day. This 2 minutes is easy to do, and you’ll find once you’ve started, you’ll end up spending 10, 20, 30 minutes on it. (e.g. I’ll just put the yoga mat out, I’ll just do 1 push up.)
Avoid bad habits by removing the cue. If you always snack on chocolate, stop buying chocolate and you won’t be able to snack on it. If you go right on waves, go to a wave that’s only breaking left. A change of environment creates an easier place for the brain to start wiring new habits.
Surround yourself with people who do what you want to do. If you spend more time with people who already do the habit you want to start then it will be easier to do. This works as part of helping you shift your identity to ‘the type of person who does habit x’.

Quick Summary

Set your goals first and define the person you want to be seen as.
Break your goals into smaller tasks and create daily habits that work TOWARDS these goals.
Keep your new habits by making them Obvious, Attractive, Easy, and Satisfying
Change your environment to help avoid bad habits and increase the ease of starting new habits

Next Steps for You

Listen to the audio episode of this article on the ‘Make It Happen’ Podcast for Athletes from ESM.

Additional Resources

Watch

Summary of Atomic Habits - IF you’re not much of a reader, this short summary video will help you smash your new habits.

Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ7lDrwYdZc

Read

‘Atomic Habits’ - By James Clear

”In The Art of Impossible, Steven Kotler has managed to articulate what many peak performers intuitively know but can't explain: that there's a formula for impossible. Kotler demystifies the mythic, breaking down that formula and giving readers exactly the tools they need to accomplish their dreams, no matter how big.” - Laird Hamilton

Check it out here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/atomic-habits-james-clear/book/9781847941831.html

Listen

‘THE SCIENCE OF MAKING & BREAKING HABITS’ Podcast from Huberman Lab - This podcast episode from Andrew Huberman is a great breakdown of the science behind making and breaking habits.

Check it out here: https://hubermanlab.com/the-science-of-making-and-breaking-habits/

Daily Habits for Big Goals