This week the Ignite Community hosted a strategy breakfast on Cultivating Peak Performance with world-class optimizer and coach, Michael Balchan. We had a great discussion about the 5 building blocks for successful performance in any area of our lives: sleeping, eating, breathing, movement (exercise) and being present (mindfulness). Once we’ve identified a habit we’d like to pursue in one of these areas, here’s how to make it stick:
1. Make it easy.
If you want to eat less potato chips or cookies, don’t have them in the house. That way, when you get home from a long tough day and don’t have much willpower, it won’t be an option because you made the decision to keep those foods out of the house.
2. Make it visible.
If you want to go to the gym in the morning, pack your back the night prior and have it ready to go when you wake up right next to the bed. Or if you are working on intentional deep breathing throughout the day, set a timer on your watch or phone to visibly remind you.
3. Celebrate progress.
Each time you choose that positive behavior, pause and recognize yourself for being consistent. Keep track of how many nights in a row you get 7+ hours of sleep, or use an app like HeadSpace for meditation that rewards you with badges and encouragement.
To break a habit, do the opposite of these steps. Make it hard, make it out of sight, and create consequences. The last thing to consider is that we have more control over the beginning and end of our days. Focus your most important habit-forming efforts in these times in order to see the quickest and most significant progress.
You can read more about Michael’s work here.
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