By Gerry Murray
As we enter a new year, many of us are busy setting goals. Yet, here’s a truth worth considering: lasting change doesn’t come from willpower alone. Real transformation — the kind that sticks — begins with understanding the power of habits.
What if, this year, instead of setting grand resolutions, we focused on the small, everyday actions that truly shape who we are?
Research shows that at least 40% of what we do each day isn’t the result of conscious decisions. These are our habits, running quietly in the background, shaping our choices, influencing our productivity, and affecting our well-being. Most of the time they serve us well!
And, by understanding how habits work, we can make 2025 the year we finally break old cycles and create new, positive ones.
Imagine this: every habit you have follows a pattern, what Charles Duhigg calls the “Habit Loop.” Each loop consists of a cue (a trigger or prompt that initiates the behaviour), a routine (the behaviour itself), and a reward (the satisfaction that reinforces it). For example, feeling stressed (cue) might lead to reaching for a snack (routine) because it brings a moment of comfort (reward).
If we can identify these loops, we can start to change them by altering the routine or behaviour while keeping the cue and reward the same.
Duhigg’s research also highlights the power of “keystone habits” — core habits that, once established, spark positive change in other areas of our lives. Think about it: by building just one habit, like exercising regularly, you may also find yourself eating better, sleeping more soundly, and feeling more focused.
As you look to 2025, consider which habits in your life could serve as keystones, setting off a ripple effect of positive change. See also Habit Stacking below...
But identifying our habits is only part of the journey. Creating new ones — and sticking to them — is often more about shaping our environment than relying on motivation. Dr BJ Fogg, a behaviour scientist, suggests that while motivation plays a role, it’s often unpredictable and depends too much on our willpower, which can easily wane. Instead, he recommends focusing on two elements we can control: prompts and ability.
Think of prompts as gentle nudges (or as Duhigg calls them "cues") that remind us to act. A prompt might be as simple as setting an alarm for a daily walk or placing a book by your bed to encourage nightly reading.
Meanwhile, increasing your ability to perform a behaviour often comes down to making it simpler. Want to drink more water? Carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Fogg’s insight is straightforward but powerful: if we adjust the prompt and make the habit easy, motivation becomes far less critical.
In a similar vein, psychology professor Wendy Wood emphasizes the importance of “friction” — the ease or difficulty of performing a behaviour. Wood’s research shows that by reducing friction for positive habits (like keeping healthy snacks in sight) and increasing it for negative ones (storing unhealthy treats out of reach), we can naturally guide ourselves toward healthier patterns without draining our willpower.
While understanding habits and shaping our environment lay the groundwork, creating a truly sustainable change often requires a system. That’s where James Clear’s four laws of behaviour change come into play. Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, outlines four principles that make it easier to build habits that last.
For Clear, the most effective changes are small and incremental, built slowly over time.
Instead of aiming to overhaul everything at once, start by focusing on one tiny habit. Want to read more? Begin with just one page a day. Want to exercise more regularly? Start with five minutes of movement.
By setting a cue (making it obvious), attaching a sense of reward (making it satisfying), and keeping things simple, you’ll find it easier to stick to your new habit.
Clear’s approach aligns with our brain’s natural tendency to follow familiar pathways.
Each time you repeat a behaviour, the neural connections strengthen, making the habit more automatic.
One effective strategy to build new habits is known as “habit stacking.” This involves attaching a new habit to an existing one, using the established behaviour as a trigger for the new action.
For example, if you already have a habit of brewing coffee each morning, you could stack a new habit of reading a few pages from a book while the coffee brews. This method leverages the consistency of your existing routines to introduce new behaviours more seamlessly.
James Clear discusses this approach in Atomic Habits, emphasizing that by linking new habits to established ones, we create a chain of behaviours that are easier to remember and perform consistently. This technique not only simplifies the process of habit formation but also reduces the need for additional motivation or willpower.
The late Dr Michael Mosley, renowned for his work on health and well-being, emphasized the profound impact of small, manageable changes in daily routines. In his podcast and book, “Just One Thing,” he explored simple actions that can significantly enhance our health and happiness.
For instance, he highlighted how incorporating a daily walk can improve cardiovascular health and boost mood. Similarly, adding a handful of nuts to your diet can provide essential nutrients and promote satiety.
Mosley’s approach aligns with the concepts of keystone habits and habit stacking, encouraging us to build new, positive habits onto existing ones, making the process of change more attainable and less overwhelming.
So, as you plan for the new year, think about how you can make small, meaningful changes in your habits. Rather than relying on sheer willpower, look to your environment and find ways to make desirable habits easy and undesirable ones difficult.
Think of the cues you can create, the routines you can tweak, and the rewards you can build in to reinforce each positive step.
Habit change is an evolving process, one that takes patience and curiosity. Explore the work of Duhigg, Fogg, Wood, Clear, and Mosley for deeper insights, and consider seeking advice from professionals, if needed. This New Year let’s break the cycle. Let’s make it the year we master our habits — and, in doing so, shape our future.
Here’s to a year of intentional, steady change. May 2025 be the year you lead yourself to new habits, new growth, and a new sense of purpose.
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