Try identity-based habits

Think about the kind of person you’d like to be

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to build habits by appealing to who
you want to be. I know many listeners of this
podcast think a lot about habit formation for good reason.

(00:26):
In many ways, habits and routines are the building blocks
of life. Habits make good choices effortless, and let the
power of small winds add up. Of course, one reason
people are obsessed with habits is that for many of us,
forming and maintaining them is a struggle. We have big ambitions,
but stuff doesn't stick. We know, for example, that walking

(00:50):
ten thousand steps a day would be a good way
to improve our health, but we just can't see how
it might fit into our lives. One way to deal
with this disconnect create how bits that are based on
your desired identity. Try to complete the following sentence, I
want to be the type of person who fill in
the blank. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, refers to

(01:12):
this as the practice of creating identity based habits. For example,
you might decide that you want to be the type
of person who runs every day, the habit that follows
is clear you have a daily running habit. You can
also build off a broader identity statement, such as I
want to be the type of person who puts family first.
Many potential habits could follow from this, such as shutting

(01:35):
down your work by six pm or making time daily
to eat breakfast with your kids. With this line of thinking,
you're getting to the deeper y of a habit before
you start on the behavior. When you have the why,
it can be easier to commit to the habit and
to becoming more like the person you'd like to be.
It may take a while before your identity statement is realized,

(01:58):
but if you keep reminding yourself that I'm the kind
of person who wakes up at six am to exercise,
you'll have some explaining to do to yourself when you
set the alarm for eight. Of course, when you think
about it, maybe you don't buy into the identity you're describing.
An upside of this identity based habit strategy is that
it gives you permission to ditch habits that don't resonate

(02:21):
with you. If you start saying, I'm a person who meditates,
so then you realize, well, you don't see this as
you fine. Upon giving it a little thought, you'll probably
know in your gut whether or not you have a
solid reason for pursuing a given habit. In the end,
when you know why you're doing something, habits become a

(02:43):
little bit less of a struggle and feel more like
little victories. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

(03:03):
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.
That's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled

(03:24):
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look
forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production
of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.