WEBVTT - Try identity-based habits

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to build habits by appealing to who

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<v Speaker 1>you want to be. I know many listeners of this

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<v Speaker 1>podcast think a lot about habit formation for good reason.

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<v Speaker 1>In many ways, habits and routines are the building blocks

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<v Speaker 1>of life. Habits make good choices effortless, and let the

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<v Speaker 1>power of small winds add up. Of course, one reason

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<v Speaker 1>people are obsessed with habits is that for many of us,

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<v Speaker 1>forming and maintaining them is a struggle. We have big ambitions,

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<v Speaker 1>but stuff doesn't stick. We know, for example, that walking

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<v Speaker 1>ten thousand steps a day would be a good way

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<v Speaker 1>to improve our health, but we just can't see how

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<v Speaker 1>it might fit into our lives. One way to deal

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<v Speaker 1>with this disconnect create how bits that are based on

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<v Speaker 1>your desired identity. Try to complete the following sentence, I

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<v Speaker 1>want to be the type of person who fill in

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<v Speaker 1>the blank. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, refers to

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<v Speaker 1>this as the practice of creating identity based habits. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>you might decide that you want to be the type

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<v Speaker 1>of person who runs every day, the habit that follows

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<v Speaker 1>is clear you have a daily running habit. You can

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<v Speaker 1>also build off a broader identity statement, such as I

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<v Speaker 1>want to be the type of person who puts family first.

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<v Speaker 1>Many potential habits could follow from this, such as shutting

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<v Speaker 1>down your work by six pm or making time daily

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<v Speaker 1>to eat breakfast with your kids. With this line of thinking,

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<v Speaker 1>you're getting to the deeper y of a habit before

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<v Speaker 1>you start on the behavior. When you have the why,

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<v Speaker 1>it can be easier to commit to the habit and

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<v Speaker 1>to becoming more like the person you'd like to be.

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<v Speaker 1>It may take a while before your identity statement is realized,

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<v Speaker 1>but if you keep reminding yourself that I'm the kind

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<v Speaker 1>of person who wakes up at six am to exercise,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll have some explaining to do to yourself when you

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<v Speaker 1>set the alarm for eight. Of course, when you think

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<v Speaker 1>about it, maybe you don't buy into the identity you're describing.

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<v Speaker 1>An upside of this identity based habit strategy is that

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<v Speaker 1>it gives you permission to ditch habits that don't resonate

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<v Speaker 1>with you. If you start saying, I'm a person who meditates,

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<v Speaker 1>so then you realize, well, you don't see this as

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<v Speaker 1>you fine. Upon giving it a little thought, you'll probably

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<v Speaker 1>know in your gut whether or not you have a

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<v Speaker 1>solid reason for pursuing a given habit. In the end,

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<v Speaker 1>when you know why you're doing something, habits become a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit less of a struggle and feel more like

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<v Speaker 1>little victories. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look

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<v Speaker 1>forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.