Stop ‘starting again’ in September …
When habits slip in summer, the story we tell ourselves is usually some version of:
‘I just don't have enough discipline right now’.
And, if not that, it’s:
‘I'll get back on track when life settles down’.
But that story isn't quite right.
You see, habits don't slip because you lose willpower. They slip because the environment changes and the system that held everything in place disappears with it. The morning routine. The regular mealtimes. The structure that made the healthy choice the easy choice.
Summer removes the scaffolding, that's all. Which means the answer isn't more discipline. Instead, we need a smaller, simpler system that works without the scaffolding.
One habit. Chosen deliberately. Set up so it's easier to do than not do.
That's it.
Not five things. Not a complete overhaul. Instead - one thing, repeated consistently, until September arrives and you realise you've been doing it for six weeks without really thinking about it.
James Clear, in his bestselling book Atomic Habits, puts it well …
‘You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems’.
Summer tends to expose the gap between the two.
Let’s make healthy simple
Which action, if repeated consistently, would have the greatest impact on your health this Summer? What can you hold on to, so you don’t have to ‘start again’ in September?
Choose your one thing - just one.
Make it easier to do than not to do - remove the friction with a small act of preparation, so action is your easiest option.
Commit to action - be as specific as possible. When you’ll do it. Where. What you’ll need to make it happen.
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