Tag: Habit

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System over goals

Best way to lose weight? Lose weight effortlessly by changing habits. At Habitlauncher.com we prefer systems over goals or as we like to say, processes will take care of outcomes.

Common in sports “The score takes care of itself”, we believe this approach is also useful for weight management. What you repeatedly do effortlessly is what ultimately shapes your weight loss results.

While we wrote elsewhere that having a goal is a good start and helpful, it is key to build a system to get you there. The system is what you do day in, day out. It is made of specific concrete habits, and of the design of your environment to support these.

With four pillars of weight management (diet, exercise, sleep, stress) different individual starting points and objectives, the system has to be fully individualized. No one size fits all for weight loss.

4 steps: Pillars, Actions, Habits, Assess and Adjust  

Step 1 Pillars: the first step is identifying what area would potentially bring the most results. Typically changes to diet and exercise, but stress management and sleep are also essential. 

Step 2 Actions: the second step is figuring out what concrete actions and behaviors would bring the necessary changes and have the most impact. For example, improve diet quality, eat healthy snacks, increase exercise frequency, sleep more. 

Step 3 Habits: the third step is developing habits, routines using concrete and specific action plans. Called implementation intention they are the tool to bring changes to life. For example, when I sit at the table to eat, I note my hunger level. When I eat out for lunch, I eat a salad. When it is Monday lunch time, I hit the gym in downtown Geneva. After I drink my morning coffee, I drink a glass of water. The more changes you make, the better. For weight loss, introduce new habits simultaneously rather than one after the other. Start easy. Make each first step the easiest you can. To get results over time, the reps and consistency matter more than the size of the initial action .

Step 4 Assess and Adjust: see which new habits stick, which do not, observe progress and adjust, usually by simplifying and making new habits easier to do.

In a few iterations of this four steps process, the system to reach your goals will stand.

“Emotions create habits” BJ Fogg

Habits follow a loop cue, routine, rewards. While the cues are infinite, location, time, sights are very important. It is hence key to design one’s environment to support new habits. Diet related, how and where we shop, what we buy and what food is visible at home or at work has to be supportive. 

Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg explains in his remarkable book that Habits are a function of Motivation, Ability and Prompt and that Emotions Create Habits. It is hence key to celebrate when we do a new habit. Give yourself a high five each and every time as a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. 

At Habitlauncher.com, working on habits, we help you build your own system to reach your goals.  

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For this year’s resolutions, think process over outcomes, system over goals

Habits to lose weight start with a goal. New resolutions season is upon us. Most popular among these: get in shape, exercise more, lose weight, reduce stress. These are classics and pillars of a healthy weight. Making a resolution is good as it orients us in the right direction. Recent research also confirms that writing down goals increases the chance of achieving them. 

Process over outcomes

However, having a goal alone will still not get you there. The process, made of your habits, will. Also, too much focus on goals is not always fun. As long as the goal is not reached, a lack of success can be discouraging and once the goal is achieved, a sense of purpose can disappear. 

System over goals

Focusing on the process, thinking in terms of system, changes that. When you do something regularly to move you in the right direction (for example eat healthy, exercise, meditate) you are applying your system. Each time you do that, you win, you are making progress and succeeding. Progress and success then contribute to motivation. Adding something to the done list on a regular basis also feels great. And what you do initially, the first steps you take, can be as small and easy as eating an apple, taking a short walk or a few deep breaths.

“We are what we repeatedly do”

Having a goal is not enough. Results come from actions, from behaviors we implement daily, and these habits form the system to reach goals. As Aristotle famously said “we are what we repeatedly do”.

Visualization

Once you have a resolution in mind, take a minute to reflect on what would change when you achieve it. What difference will it make to you? What will improve? How do you feel? Take a moment to bring to life how achieving the resolution feels.

Implementation intention

Finally, for this year’s resolutions, let us formulate them specifically, detailing action, time and location. For example, get in shape, exercise more, become: If it is Monday or Wednesday then I will hit the gym in downtown Geneva over lunch. Formulating “if then plans”, called implementation intentions, is shown to help weight loss and healthy eating. Such plans build associations between cues (in this case a time of day) and a behavior (working out). They make us aware of logistical issues (block calendar, prepare gym bag, plan lunch afterwards). They are commitments and commitments are knowingly hard to break. 

Once formulated, share your resolutions with supportive friends. Use an accountability partner to further increase your odds of reaching your goals in 2020 and beyond. To help you lose weight check our e-book, New Habits for Weight Loss here or available on Gumroad here. At Habitlauncher.com, working on habits to lose weight, we help you build a system to reach your goals.