Behavior Modification for Success
Stress, toxic work environments, a lackluster culture, and low motivation can all slow us down on our paths to success. At Armour, we see the big picture; we’re on roofs most of the time, after all (the view is great). Achieving structure, positive habits, and a less stressful mindset helps you in many ways. Whether you’re an employee or an employer, small positive habits significantly impact your job satisfaction, productivity, and mental and physical health.
Atomic Habits, written by James Clear, is a bestselling self-help book that focuses on understanding the formation of habits and how to use that knowledge to build good habits and break bad ones. Here are some key concepts from the book:
The Habit Loop:
Clear explains habits as a three-step loop: cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, followed by a reward. This reward reinforces the loop and makes the behavior more likely to be repeated.
The Four Laws of Behavior Change:
Building on the habit loop, Clear outlines four fundamental principles for creating new habits or changing existing ones:
- Cue: Make the cue obvious. This means placing yourself in environments or situations that trigger the desired behavior
- Craving: Make the habit attractive. Focus on the positive benefits of the habit to increase your motivation.
- Response: Make the habit easy. Start small and gradually increase the difficulty as the habit becomes more ingrained.
- Reward: Make the habit rewarding. Immediately after performing the desired behavior, provide yourself with a reward to reinforce the positive loop.
The Power of Small Habits:
Clear emphasizes small, achievable changes. Even minor improvements, consistently applied over time, can yield significant results.
- Habit Stacking: This strategy involves linking a new habit to an existing one. By pairing the new habit with a well-established routine, you can leverage the automatic nature of the existing habit to make the new one more accessible to stick with.
- The Goldilocks Zone: For optimal habit formation, you want to find the sweet spot between a habit that is too easy (and thus not reinforcing) and one that is too difficult (leading to discouragement).
- Identity Change: Clear argues that our habits shape our identity. By building habits that align with the person you want to become, you can gradually change your self-perception and create lasting change.
Atomic Habits offers a practical, science-based approach to understanding and influencing habits. By applying the principles outlined in the book, you can take control of your behaviors and achieve your goals.
We hope it leads you to feel better in your life, your workplace, and the goals you have in mind. We do a lot of lunch and learns and continue to try to educate ourselves at Armour on different ways to cultivate the culture and mindset we are craving. If you have any experience in stress management, life coaching, or mental health in the workplace, we would love to hear from you! Give us a call or send us an email.
Here are some additional resources you might find helpful:
- James Clear’s Website: https://jamesclear.com/
- Atomic Habits Summary: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits-summary (This is not an official website but offers a good overview)
