“It takes a long time to become an overnight success” – attributed to various sources.
Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever, but in this video, he explains how focusing on the results of his fabled career is missing the point. Instead focus on his years in the gym.
Similarly, what helps us achieve more isn’t the long term goals, but the habits that get us there.
Yet forming these habits can be hard. In Nir Eyal’s book Indistractable, he offers a solution where you focus first on your identity and then use it to build up strong habits.
This results in a simple, yet effective recipe:
Identity → Habits → Growth
Here’s a few practical examples
- Need to get in shape? Try
- “I’m a marathoner” → I run need to 5 times a week → Now I lost 15lbs
- Want to learn about technology? Try
- I’m a developer →I write code every night after work → I understand AWS
- Want to eat better? Try
- I’m a vegetarian → My diet is mostly fruit and vegetables → I feel healthier
And more importantly, long run goals are inherently far out. In this tweet thread, prolific podcaster and investor Patrick O’Shaugnessy sounds off on how those goals matter far less than the habits because habits move us forward.
So the formula is simple. Focus first on shaping your habits and then they’ll shape you.