Why habits go beyond goals

Introduction

In the pursuit of success and personal growth, it is widely recognised that setting goals is essential. Goals serve as a roadmap to guide our actions and provide us with a sense of direction. They help us define what we want to achieve and create a clear vision of our desired future.

However, I firmly believe that habits are the true key to not only achieving goals but also surpassing them.

Habit formation focuses on creating sustainable behaviours that support long-term progress. They become automatic and ingrained in our daily lives, to the extent they are performed consistently without conscious effort.

Positive habits have the power to transcend beyond the specific goals we set for ourselves, shaping our behaviours, mindset, and ultimately our destiny. Conversely, bad habits have the power to not only hinder our progress but can completely derail the direction we are travelling in, leading us away from our desired outcomes.

Based on my belief that no significant goal will ever be reached without habit forming. I've written this article to provide insights from two very different but highly influential books around habit forming: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey and "Atomic Habits" by James Clear.

I'll provide a short overview of each book, and then discuss why we should place greater or equal importance on habits than goals.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

As discussed habits play a fundamental role in our lives as they dictate our daily actions and behaviours. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" published in 1989 provides valuable insights into the significance of habits and how they can shape our overall effectiveness. By consciously developing positive habits, we can enhance our productivity, relationships, and personal fulfilment.

The book is structured around 7 habits that Covey suggests individuals can work on to become more effective:

1. Be Proactive: Take responsibility for your life and actions. Focus on what you can control and influence rather than being reactive to external circumstances.
2. Start with the End in Mind: Define your purpose and set clear goals. Visualise what you want to achieve and work towards it with a clear vision of the desired outcome.
3. Put First Things First: Prioritise your tasks and activities based on importance and urgency. Learn to manage your time effectively and focus on activities that align with your goals and values.
4. Think Win-Win: Cultivate an abundance mentality where you seek mutually beneficial solutions in all interactions. Foster cooperation, collaboration, and positive relationships.
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood: Practice empathic listening to genuinely understand others before expressing your own thoughts and ideas. Strive for mutual understanding and respect in communication.
6. Synergise: Embrace the power of teamwork and collaboration. Value and leverage the diversity of strengths, perspectives, and talents to create innovative solutions and achieve common goals.
7. Sharpen the Saw: Invest in self-renewal and continuous improvement. Take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being to sustain and enhance your effectiveness.

Covey calls out the importance of personal integrity, character development, and aligning your actions with universal principles. He discusses how by adopting these habits, we can improve our effectiveness, achieve personal growth, build healthy relationships, and find a balance between personal and professional life.

Atomic Habits

Is a book written by James Clear and published in 2018. It focuses on the concept of small, incremental changes, referred to as "atomic habits," and how they can have a profound impact on personal and professional growth.

Which at first sounds similar in concept to 'marginal gains' which became prominent following the success of the British Cycling team and then the England Rugby team.

While there are similarities this book explores the idea that our habits shape our identities and that by making small changes to our habits, we can achieve remarkable results over time.

Clear emphasises that the key to long-term success is not relying on willpower or motivation but instead designing and implementing effective systems that make positive behaviours easier to adopt and maintain. The key themes include,

1. The Power of Tiny Gains: the importance of focusing on small improvements or changes in habits rather than aiming for drastic transformations. Small, consistent progress leads to significant long-term results.
2. The Habit Loop: Consists of four stages: cue, craving, response, and reward. Understanding this loop helps individuals identify and modify their existing habits or create new ones
3. Habit Stacking: The concept of habit stacking involves linking a new habit with an existing one to increase the likelihood of its adoption. By piggybacking on an already established routine, individuals can make it easier to integrate new behaviours into their daily lives.
4. Environment Design: the importance of shaping your environment to support desired habits. Modifying the physical and social environment can make it easier to engage in positive behaviours and reduce the likelihood of falling into negative ones.
5. Identity-Based Habits: Clear introduces the idea of focusing on identity-based habits rather than solely on the desired outcome. By adopting the mindset and beliefs of the person you want to become, you are more likely to align your actions with that identity.
6. Continuous Improvement: The book encourages a growth mindset and highlights the importance of consistently reviewing and refining habits to optimise personal and professional development.

Atomic Habits offers practical strategies, tips, and examples to help readers implement small changes in their lives that can lead to significant and lasting results. It provides a framework for understanding the science behind habit formation and offers actionable steps to create positive habits, break negative ones, and transform through continuous improvement.

Comparison

Convey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is one of the most influential books ever written. The style is reflective, philosophical, and thought-provoking. Even though it was published in 1989 it is as relevant today as it was then. Such is its strength without reading the book if you just applied the 7 summarised habits to everyday life there is no doubt you will grow.

However, it's a monster of a read and I found it complex at times. For that reason, I prefer the practical, concise, and action-oriented style of James Clear's "Atomic Habits" which comes as no surprise to me having recently completed a discovery insight profile. It aligns perfectly with my profile in that regard. If you are interested in understanding and forming habits and are looking for practical techniques, actionable advice, and tangible strategies that can be implemented immediately my recommendation would be to try this first.

Why Habits Over Goals

Habits outlast goals, while goals provide a specific target to strive for, they are often temporary and subject to change. Once a goal is achieved, we may feel a sense of accomplishment, but we also face the challenge of maintaining that level of success. On the other hand, habits are enduring behavioural patterns that can be sustained over the long term. By focusing on habits, we can create a foundation for consistent progress even after specific goals have been accomplished. Good habits become ingrained in daily routines, allowing us to continue our growth journey and adapt to new goals, challenges, and circumstances with more ease.

Long-term results align better with habits, they are conducive to achieving prolonged results, as they focus on sustainable behaviour change. Goals often emphasise short-term outcomes, which may lead to a "yo-yo" effect where we experience fluctuations in motivation and progress. In contrast, habits prioritise consistent actions and incremental improvements, leading to lasting transformation.

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." - James Clear, Atomic Habits

When we prioritise habit formation, we establish a positive feedback loop where each small action reinforces our desired behaviour, ultimately leading to long-lasting and impactful results. Habits align with the idea of continuous improvement and a growth mindset of progress rather than a fixation on achieving finite targets.

Habits compound, just as compound interest accumulates and grows exponentially in the financial realm, the compound effect of good habits works in a similar way for personal development. Each day we are committed to our habits, we make incremental improvements and build momentum. Over time, our consistent actions lead to substantial transformations, surpassing what we could have achieved solely through the pursuit of specific goals. Embracing the compound effect of good habits empowers us to create a positive cycle of continuous improvement and enjoy the compounding benefits of our efforts.

Final thought

To establish lasting habits, I have found great value in adopting a mindset that focuses on incremental progress. Inspired by the idea of "21 days to form a habit," I embrace the notion of committing to a specific habit for a defined period. By dedicating myself to consistent practice over the course of 21 days, I reinforce positive behaviour and reshape my routines. Gradually, this mindset extends to 21 weeks, 21 months, and beyond. I have found the 21-day approach a great way to start new habits, as it's a small but not insignificant period of time to be focussed on.

It also helps keep me on track, inevitably habits are hard to form and break, but this approach allows me to cut myself some slack if I break a good habit as I tell myself, it happens just don't do it consistently for 21 days!

Lastly, I am not suggesting we shouldn't have goals, completely the opposite. Simply it's my belief if we combine goals and habits, with more focus on habits we will exceed our goals.

Thanks again for reading, as always appreciate any feedback and comment.