Maintaining good habits over the long term, mission impossible?

Many goals we set for ourselves in life, whether related to our health, productivity, or overall well-being, require changing or adopting new habits. However, these changes can seem intimidating and difficult. Fortunately, a gradual approach based on developing small habits can greatly facilitate this process. To illustrate this, we will see how to integrate a new habit very coveted by many of us: playing sports.

The Pillars of Habit Building

In this article, we are based on the book “A Nothing Can Change Everything” by James Clear. In his book, he explains that small, regular changes can lead to significant results. He presents four laws for building a habit: make the habit obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying.

Practical illustration: The habit of doing sport

Let's say you want to develop the habit of exercising every day. Here's how you can apply Clear's four laws for this purpose.

1. Make the habit obvious: Choose a specific time and place to do your strength training each day. This could be in the morning, just after breakfast, at a nearby gym, or every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after work, for example. This routine makes it easier to recognize the habit and triggers an automatic response in your brain to begin the activity.
2. Make the habit attractive: Pair weight training with an activity you already enjoy. For example, if you like listening to podcasts, do it while you work out.
3. Make the habit easy: For example, start with short strength training sessions and with light weights. This makes the habit easier to adopt. Over time, you can gradually increase the length of your sessions and the weight you lift. You can also just go for a run for a few moments. Remember one thing: It's better to exercise 3 minutes a day every day than 2 hours a day for 1 week. And between us, we don't need a lot of willpower to do just 3 minutes. The important thing is recurrence. Once your habit is ingrained in you, then you can start increasing the intensity.
4. Make the habit satisfying: Take time after each session to appreciate the feeling of strength and energy you feel. This immediate satisfaction reinforces your desire to continue.

You can also write down in a notebook or Excel file the days you played sports. After a month, all the crosses registered are enough to be proud and satisfied with the progress already accomplished.

Consistency and patience

Finally, remember that regularity is key to establishing a new habit. It usually takes several weeks or even months for a habit to become an integral part of your routine. Be patient with yourself and celebrate every little progress.

To conclude, real change does not lie in big one-off actions, but rather in small, consistent steps towards your goal. With the correct approach, you can develop positive habits that will transform your life.

We recommend that you treat yourself to the pleasure of reading “A Nothing Can Change Everything” by James Clear if you want to go into more detail


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the Arits team