Imagine a river carving its way through a canyon. Over time, the water creates deep grooves, flowing effortlessly along the path it’s followed for centuries.
Changing a habit is like trying to redirect that river. At first, the water stubbornly follows its usual route, but with persistence and small adjustments, you can gradually guide it into a new path.
The more consistent you are, the deeper that new groove becomes, until it becomes the default flow. This is how changing habits works.
When we set out to change our habits, we often think of the outcome—being healthier, more productive, or happier.
But guess what? Your brain has other plans.
Our minds resist change, wired to favor routines. At times, breaking a habit can feel like rewiring a deeply ingrained circuit.
But what if there was a way to hack that circuit?
Let’s dive into what makes habit change so tough and uncover five simple strategies to make it easier.
Why Are Habits So Hard to Change?
There’s a reason your brain clings to habits: efficiency. Our brains are constantly processing an enormous amount of information, and habits allow us to go on autopilot, saving mental energy for more complex tasks.
Think back to when you first learned to drive. Every movement—checking mirrors, shifting gears, or even just staying in your lane—required intense concentration. Your brain had to process a lot at once, and it felt overwhelming.
But with practice, those actions became second nature.
Now, you probably drive without thinking much about each step; your hands move to the wheel, your foot adjusts the pedals, and you navigate the road on autopilot.
Once a habit is formed, it becomes part of our brain’s routine, which is why it feels automatic.
The problem is that we often try to change too much, too fast. We attempt to overhaul our entire lives in one fell swoop, only to be met with frustration when things don’t go as planned.
In reality, lasting change requires a more strategic, incremental approach, done over an extended period of time.
Ready to rewire your brain for lasting change?
Here are five game-changing tips to help you hack your habit circuit and make those new behaviors stick.
1. Start Small: The Power of Mini-Wins
The bigger the dragon to slay, the more we shy away.
Tackling a massive change all at once can feel overwhelming. Instead of aiming for a huge transformation overnight, break your goal into smaller, more manageable steps.
In Atomic Habits, author James Clear talks about the idea of “tiny gains”—improving by just 1% each day. The power of compounding applies not only to investments but also to habits.
Over time, those tiny, consistent improvements snowball into significant results.
For example, Imagine starting with a net worth of a single penny.
Not much right?
Now, double it every day for 30 days.
How much do you think your net worth has grown? A couple dollars, A few hundred, A few thousand maybe?
On day one, it's just a cent—but by day 30, that single penny has exploded into over $5 million.
That's the mind-blowing power of compound growth!
Take the same approach, if you want to get in shape, instead of committing to an hour at the gym every day right away, start by doing 5-10 minutes of exercise each morning.
Once that becomes easy, gradually increase the duration. By starting small, you’re lowering the resistance and making it easier to get started.
Remember though, as easy as this may be to do, it’s just as easy not to do. Be consistent until it’s just part of your routine.
2. Focus on Systems, Not Goals
Most people focus on the outcome they want to achieve. While goals are important, they aren’t enough to sustain long-term change.
What really matters are the systems you put in place to reach those goals.
Clear emphasizes that you don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.
If you want to write a book, the goal of finishing the book isn’t enough. Instead, focus on the system—writing 300 words every day, setting aside time for brainstorming, or establishing a routine for research.
The trick is to build systems that make the right behaviors automatic. Make it easy for your future self to stick to the habits you want to cultivate.
3. Habit Stacking: Anchor New Habits to Existing Ones
One of the most effective strategies for building new habits from Clear’s book, ‘Atomic Habits’, is called “habit stacking.” It’s based on the idea of piggybacking new behaviors onto existing ones.
Think about your current habits—whether it's brushing your teeth, making coffee, or driving to work.
These are ingrained actions that don’t require much mental effort. By linking a new habit to one that’s already established, you reduce the friction of starting.
For example, if you want to meditate, you could stack that habit onto your morning routine. After you brew your coffee in the morning, take two minutes to meditate while it cools.
Or, if you’re trying to drink more water, place a glass next to your toothbrush and make drinking water part of your brushing routine.
Habit stacking helps you create mental connections that reinforce new behaviors, making them easier to stick with.
4. Design Your Environment: Make Good Habits Easy and Bad Habits Hard
Your environment plays a massive role in shaping your behavior. If you’ve ever noticed how hard it is to resist grabbing a snack when there’s a bowl of candy on the counter, you’ve experienced this firsthand.
The good news is that you can design your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits harder.
If you’re trying to eat healthier, make sure nutritious foods are visible and accessible. Keep fruits and vegetables at the front of the fridge and hide less healthy snacks in harder-to-reach places.
Want to read more books? Place them in plain sight—on your nightstand, desk, or coffee table—so they serve as visual cues.
On the flip side, make bad habits more difficult by introducing obstacles. If you’re trying to cut down on social media, you could delete the apps from your phone or set time limits on usage.
As a kid, I remember people freezing their credit cards in a block of ice. If you wanted to use it, you'd have to thaw or chisel it out—making impulse buys feel like way too much effort!
By creating friction for bad habits and reducing it for good ones, you make it easier to stick to the behaviors you want.
5. Create an Identity-Based Approach
One of the most profound shifts in habit change comes when you focus on who you want to become, rather than what you want to achieve.
This is known as an identity-based approach.
Instead of setting a goal to run a marathon, frame it as becoming a runner. Rather than focusing on losing 10 pounds, think about becoming the kind of person who prioritizes health.
For example: If you’re a non-smoker and someone asks for a cigarette, you don't ask, "What brand?"—you say, "I don't smoke." It's part of who you are. It’s your standard.
By changing how you see yourself, your actions begin to align with this new identity.
Each time you perform an action that supports this identity, you reinforce it.
Every run you complete, every healthy meal you prepare, becomes proof that you are becoming the person you want to be.
Over time, this identity-based thinking becomes self-sustaining and cements your commitment to the new habit.
Flip the Switch
Changing habits isn’t about brute willpower or grand gestures. It's about small wins, smart systems, and stacking behaviors.
Each tiny step builds momentum, and with consistency, you spark real change.
By starting small, developing your systems, designing your environment, and aligning with your identity, you make habit transformation inevitable.
The first jolt of change may sting a bit, but soon your mind will rewire to support who you are becoming.
Keep going, and soon you, your goals, and your mind will run like a well-oiled machine. Every system aligned, driving you to become ‘Your Very Best’.
Committed to Your Success,
Coach Michael
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