How To Get 1% Better Every Day James Clear jamesclear.com My - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

James Clear • jamesclear.com

How To Get 1% Better Every Day

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My story.

I had to start small.

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Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.

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British Cycling

The story of Dave Brailsford

“The aggregation of marginal gains.”

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Excellence is not about radical changes, but about accruing small improvements over time.

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The Power

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• f Tiny Gains

1 Year Improvement or decline 1% better every day

1.01

365 days = 37.78

1% worse every day

0.99

365 days = 0.03

Habits are the compound interest

• f self-improvement.

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If you’re struggling to improve, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system.

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You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.

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The goal had always been there. It was the system that changed.

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Failure happens when people try to change their goals without changing their system.

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It’s about alignment between your desired outcome and your daily habits.

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What is a habit?

“I don’t like the way you look…”

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• Nurses
• Military analysts
• Museum curators
• Doctors
• Hairdressers

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Habits allow you to solve the problems of life with less energy and effort.

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How to change a habit.

There are four stages to habit formation.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

T H E F O U R S T A G E S O F H A B I T

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

A trigger that tells your brain to initiate a habit.

T H E F O U R S T A G E S O F H A B I T

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

A trigger that tells your brain to initiate a habit. The prediction that compels you to act.

T H E F O U R S T A G E S O F H A B I T

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

A trigger that tells your brain to initiate a habit. The prediction that compels you to act. The actual habit you perform.

T H E F O U R S T A G E S O F H A B I T

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

A trigger that tells your brain to initiate a habit. The prediction that compels you to act. The actual habit you perform. The result that satisfies your craving.

T H E F O U R S T A G E S O F H A B I T

By looking at a habit in this way, we can create a rule for each step that will help us create and change habits.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Human behaviors are often tied to one another.

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Habit Stacking

• Created by Stanford professor BJ Fogg
• You can layer your desired habit on top of

a current habit to create a “habit stack.”

• You are choosing a cue for your new

habit.

• Cues should be specific and immediately

actionable.

L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

"After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."

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Habit Stacking

• Meditation. After I brew my morning coffee, I will

meditate for one minute.

• Exercise. After I get home from work, I will

immediately change into my workout clothes.

• Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one

thing I’m grateful happened today.

• Decluttering. After I take my shoes off at night, I will
• rganize one item in my room.
• Sales. After I sit down at my desk from lunch, I will

send one email to a potential client.

L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

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Chaining Your Habit Stacks

• After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I

will meditate for sixty seconds.

• After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will

write my to-do list for the day.

• After I write my to-do list for the day, I

will select the most important task to do first.

L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

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Habit Stacking

• When I see a set of stairs, I will take

them instead of using the elevator.

• When I see my water bottle is half

empty, I will fill it back up.

• When I feel stressed or anxious at work,

I will close my eyes and take five deep breaths.

L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Explicitly state when and where you will implement your habits.

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Implementation Intentions: “Track how often you exercise…”

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].

Group 1 (control)

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Percentage of Participants Who Exercised at Least 1x/week

Group 2 (motivation) Group 3 (intention)

Source: British Journal of Health Psychology

100 80 20 40 60

38% 35% 91%

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Know what you're going to work

• n, when you're going to work on

it, and where you're going to work on it.

jamesclear.com L A W 1 : M A K E I T O B V I O U S

Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

Mass. General Hospital

Environment Design

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E Source: American Journal of Public Health (April 2012)

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E Source: American Journal of Public Health (April 2012)

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

People drank 25% more water and 11% less soda.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

One of the most overlooked drivers

• f your habits is your physical
• environment. We often want

things simply because we are presented with them.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

Walk into any living room. Where do all the couches and chairs face?

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Design Your Space

• Want to practice guitar more

frequently? Place your guitar stand in the middle of your living room.

• Want to read more? Put a book on top
• f your pillow when you make your bed

each morning.

• Want to eat more fruit? Make it
• bvious in your kitchen.

L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

I have never seen a person consistently stick to positive habits in a negative environment.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

A well-designed environment can even lock in your future behavior.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

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Commitment Devices

• Ask to have half of a meal boxed up

before you are served.

• Charge your phone in any room other

than your bedroom.

• Lock in savings by setting up an

automatic deposit each month.

• Prep a bunch of meals for the week
• n Sunday.

L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

Or, consider my social media strategy.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

The ultimate determinant of attractiveness is the social environment.

jamesclear.com L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

Join a group where your desired behavior is the normal behavior.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

“I begin each day of my life with a ritual; I wake up at 5:30 A.M., put on my workout clothes, my leg warmers, my sweatshirts, and my hat. I walk outside my Manhattan home, hail a taxi, and tell the driver to take me to the Pumping Iron gym at 91st street and First Avenue, where I workout for two hours. The ritual is not the stretching and weight training I put my body through each morning at the gym; the ritual is the cab. The moment I tell the driver where to go I have completed the ritual. It’s a simple act, but doing it the same way each morning habitualizes it—makes it repeatable, easy to do. It reduces the chance that I would skip it or do it differently. It is one more item in my arsenal of routines, and one less thing to think about.”

• Twyla Tharp

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

Each morning, there is a moment that determines the rest of my day.

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

Your habits often act as an entrance ramp to bigger routines.

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The Two-Minute Rule.

L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

Make it as easy as possible to start. When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.

jamesclear.com L A W 3 : M A K E I T E A S Y

A habit must be established before it can be improved.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

The only reason we repeat behaviors is because we like them.

The

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The story of Trent Dyrsmid

L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

Paper Clip Strategy.

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

“Every morning I would start with 120 paper clips in one jar and I would keep dialing the phone until I had moved them all to the second jar.”

• Trent Dyrsmid

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

Progress is more satisfying when you can see it.

Don’t

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

break the chain.

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

Never

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

miss twice.

jamesclear.com L A W 4 : M A K E I T S A T I S F Y I N G

Here’s the key: track the right thing. The pace of feedback matters.

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• 1. CUE •
• 2. CRAVING •
• 3. RESPONSE •
• 4. REWARD •

Law 1: Make it obvious. Law 2: Make it attractive. Law 3: Make it easy. Law 4. Make it satisfying.

T H E F O U R L A W S O F B E H A V I O R C H A N G E

jamesclear.com

The Book

• New York Times bestseller
• Wall Street Journal bestseller
• Audible bestseller
• 4.9/5 stars on Amazon
• Goodreads Finalist for “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year”

atomichabits.com

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How long do I have to do this stuff? How long does it take to build a new habit?

Q.

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A habit is not a finish line to be crossed. It is a lifestyle to be lived.

A.

Here’s the secret to this talk: It’s not just about small changes. It’s about believing something new about yourself.

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Identity- Based Habits.

True behavior change is identity change.

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Being It vs. Doing It

• The goal is not to read a book, the

goal is to become a reader.

• The goal is not to run a marathon, the

goal is to become a runner.

• The goal is not to write a book, the

goal is to become a writer.

L A W 2 : M A K E I T A T T R A C T I V E

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

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How can you get 1% better today?

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Keynote Follow-Up Q&A

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How to change your habits.

It is much more important to work on the right habit than it is to work really hard.

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How to choose the right habit for you.

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Pointing-and-Calling reduces errors by up to 85 percent and cuts accidents by 30 percent.

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The Habits Scorecard

• Starting from the time you wake up until the time

you go to lunch, write down each habit you perform.

• Then, assign a score to each habit as positive (+),

negative (-), or neutral (=)

WORKSHOP

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Examples

• Wake up
• Turn off alarm
• Check my phone
• Go to the bathroom
• Turn on the shower
• Weigh myself
• Take a shower
• Dry off
• etc...

WORKSHOP

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Examples

• Wake up =
• Turn off alarm =
• Check my phone -
• Go to the bathroom =
• Turn on the shower =
• Weigh myself +
• Take a shower +
• Dry off =
• etc...

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Create your Habits Scorecard.

Most people start with outcomes. We’ll start with identity.

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Who is the type of person that can achieve the outcomes I want?

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Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.

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jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

"If I want [OUTCOME], I should be [IDENTITY]."

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Identity- Based Habits

• Writing. If I want to write a book, I should be the

type of person who writes every day.

• Weight loss. If I want to lose weight, I should be the

type of person who cooks dinner rather than eating

• ut.
• Decluttering. If I want a tidy home, I should be the

type of person who cleans the dishes each night.

• Sales. If I want to double my income, I should be the

type of person who makes sales calls every day.

WORKSHOP

It’s about alignment between your desired outcome and your daily habits.

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“What would a healthy person do?”

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“Who do I need to be right now?”

• Adam Robinson

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“”

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Write your identity-based habit. "If I want [OUTCOME], I should be [IDENTITY]."

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The Two-Minute Rule.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Make it as easy as possible to start. When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.

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Two-Minute Habits

• Read 30 books becomes “Read 1

page.”

• Do yoga 4 days per week becomes

“Take out my yoga mat.”

• Write a book becomes “Write on

sentence.”

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Write down a two-minute version

• f your habit.

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Habit Stacking.

WORKSHOP

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Habit Stacking

• You can layer your desired habit on top of

a current habit to create a “habit stack.”

• You are choosing a cue for your new

habit.

• Cues should be specific and immediately

actionable.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

"After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."

jamesclear.com

Habit Stacking

• Meditation. After I brew my morning coffee, I will

meditate for one minute.

• Exercise. After I get home from work, I will

immediately change into my workout clothes.

• Gratitude. After I sit down to dinner, I will say one

thing I’m grateful happened today.

• Decluttering. After I take my shoes off at night, I will
• rganize one item in my room.
• Sales. After I sit down at my desk from lunch, I will

send one email to a potential client.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com

Examples

• When I see a set of stairs, I will take

them instead of using the elevator.

• After I turn on the shower, I will do five

burpees.

• When I see my water bottle is half

empty, I will fill it back up.

• When I feel stressed or anxious at work,

I will close my eyes and take five deep breaths.

WORKSHOP

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More examples

• After I get in bed for the night, I will

think of one positive thing that happened today.

• After I get in my car, I will take three

deep breaths.

• After I get home from my violin lesson,

I will put my violin on a stand in the middle of the living room.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Specificity is key.

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Chaining Your Habit Stacks

• After I pour my morning cup of coffee, I

will meditate for sixty seconds.

• After I meditate for sixty seconds, I will

write my to-do list for the day.

• After I write my to-do list for the day, I

will select the most important task to do first.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Write your habit stack. "After I [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."

jamesclear.com

Implementation Intentions.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Explicitly state when and where you will implement your habits.

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

"I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]."

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Write your implementation intention. "I will [BEHAVIOR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]."

jamesclear.com

Temptation Bundling.

WORKSHOP

Temptation bundling suggest you pair a habit you need to do with something you want to do.

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jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

“I will only [HABIT I WANT] when I [HABIT I NEED].”

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Temptation Bundling

• I will only watch TV when I fold the

laundry.

• I will only get a pedicure when I

process overdue work emails.

• I will only watch reality TV when I am
• n the elliptical.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Create your temptation bundle. “I will only [HABIT I WANT] when I [HABIT I NEED].”

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Habit Tracking.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Progress is more satisfying when you can see it.

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

Don’t

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

break the chain.

Never

jamesclear.com WORKSHOP

miss twice.

You can make tracking the final step in your habit stack.

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jamesclear.com

Tracking + Stacking

• Sales. After I hang up from my first sales call of the

day, I will check it off on my tracker.

• Exercise. After I finish each workout set, I will record

it in my workout journal.

• Nutrition. After I put my plate in the dishwasher, I

will write down what I ate in my food journal.

WORKSHOP

jamesclear.com EXERCISE

Fill out your habit tracker.

Success is the product of daily habits, not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.

jamesclear.com

jamesclear.com

The Book

• New York Times bestseller
• Wall Street Journal bestseller
• Audible bestseller
• 4.9/5 stars on Amazon
• Goodreads Finalist for “Best Nonfiction Book of the Year”

atomichabits.com