“Every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become.”
– James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits author James Clear advocates for creating systems in our lives that make healthy habits easier. By boosting visual cues of choices that benefit us, such as keeping the dental floss next to our toothbrush rather than in a drawer or having a book on our nightstand, we can increase the likelihood of following through with practices we say we want to do. It works the other way too: Hiding or eliminating the visual cues of what we want to avoid can help us minimize bad habits.
Beyond habits like these, I’m interested in the idea that our actions define who we’re becoming. It can be easy to think that a behavior is temporary and only affects the current moment, such as not making time for exercise while immersed in a busy time at work or avoiding friends while studying for exams. But short-term behaviors like these can compound to the point that we automatically skip exercise or avoid our friends when we’re too busy. Worse, perhaps we make ourselves too busy as an excuse not to exercise or spend time with the people we love.
How might you combine what matters to you or better integrate seemingly opposing elements into your life—without sacrificing too much time? To combine work and exercise, perhaps you rehearse a presentation for work while using the elliptical at the gym. Having a workout buddy helps motivate us to exercise and gives us much-needed social connection. To avoid quarantining themselves during exams, several of my students meet up for a study-break meals or schedule study sessions with their friends.
Who are you becoming? What actions reflect that? How might you combine habits that matter to you?
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