Make It Obvious

We need absolute clarity on what we are doing, when we do it and where we do it. Momentum will detail the exact steps to take, and you will know that you always do this as soon as you wake up. You know in what order, and where you do each step.

We then use a concept called “habit stacking,” which means that one habit naturally leads onto the next. Therefore, we follow a specific order of doing things. Once you have finished the first step, your mind will automatically link to the next step.

Our minds also use “cues” to associate with behaviours or habits. For example, when we sit at the dinner table, our mind knows we are ready to eat. So, an easy way of automatically carrying out the habits is to create a stable and predictable environment. We will be setting up your home and work environment to associate it with your new habits.

Make It Attractive

The more attractive something is, the more likely it is to become habit-forming. Neurologically, habits are dopamine fueled. And it is the anticipation of a reward that gets us to act. That is why the steps in Momentum have been carefully chosen and structured to give you a reward on completion. You only need to be consistent for a few days to start to crave the feeling this gives you.

Another way something is powerfully attractive (or unattractive) to us is from our peers. Our ancestors relied on the support of their tribe or village for survival. If they didn’t work together, as part of the community, they would, quite literally, die. Our brains are hard-wired for the approval of the people around us. That is why it is so important to find a supportive peer group.

At Avocado Ninja, we will provide you with this peer group. Just go to www.avocado.ninja/momentum and join our community of like-minded people who are on the same journey. Not only will this help you practically, by having the approval, respect, and praise of others with a similar mindset, you will find it much easier to stick to the habits.

You can go a step further and find an accountability partner, which is yet another proven way to increase your chances of sticking to the program and making those habits automatic.

Make It Easy

Through repetition, habits form and the behaviour will become progressively more automatic. So, everything will be set up to be as easy as possible for you to follow these habits every day. Plus, we will set up your environment to also make doing the right thing is as easy as possible.

Interestingly, even though a habit may only require a few minutes, it will continue to impact your behaviour for the rest of the day. You entertain decisions like this every day: Should I eat the cookie? Should I go to the gym? Should I lay in bed for 5 more minutes? Once you make the decision, it usually leads to a cascade of similar decisions throughout the day.

So, this underscores the power of setting your day up well straight away. On executing your morning habits, you will feel confident and charged with energy, which has a profound effect on your mindset and actions for the rest of the day.

There are also some one-time actions that automate your future habits. These tools will be highlighted in each chapter, which deliver increasing returns over time. They are powerful because you only take a single action to set them up.

Make It Satisfying

Until now, getting you to take the initial step has been our goal. If we can then make the action satisfying, it increases the likelihood that you will repeat the step over and over again to form a habit. To experience satisfaction, we need a reward. Our minds inevitably prioritize immediate gratification over a delayed reward. So, we need to be intentional in how we go about this.

First, shift your mindset to focus on progress and growth rather than always focusing on an outcome of the end goal. By embracing the process, you will feel great every time you complete a step. You will feel a mental boost every time you start your day supercharged.

To further reinforce this, go to www.avocado.ninja/momentum and download the “Habit Tracker.” This is a remarkably simple but powerful way to see clear evidence of your progress. There is also another powerful force at work. You begin a chain of progress, and the more days you carry out the morning routine, the less you will want to break the streak. Because each step is orchestrated to immediately change how you feel, the resulting dopamine hit will reinforce the behaviour and keep you doing it.

The other source of satisfaction stems from the way that such a fundamental change starts a cascade of changes in other areas of your life. For example, when you bring more energy to each day, people will start to react to you in a very different, and positive, way. When you feel in control, you feel better about yourself, and you are inclined to make better decisions. And that feedback loop only reinforces your new start to the day.

These changes will bring you pleasure, and you’ll keep doing it – not because you think you should, but because you’ll want to keep feeling good. And once you feel good for more of your day, you will be much more likely to make extra refinements and stick to them.

Limit Your Losses

Every day that you stick to your positive habits, you compound gains. Interrupt those compound gains and it’s easy to find yourself back at zero. But if you can simply turn up (see the fallback tiny habit strategy below) and keep the habit going (e.g., exercise for just 2 minutes), you’ll reinforce your new identity and keep your momentum going.

You’ll become more determined, too. So, accept that everyone has bad days. But also accept that one bad day doesn’t negate all your hard work and good habits right away. If you miss a day, or you fall back into a bad habit, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back to the good habit straight away.

We will be using this, along with other cutting-edge habit formation strategies, in the online part of the Momentum system to make sure everything you learn will integrate seamlessly into your life.

I had a eureka moment, where I realized the one thing that all the successful I had studied did. Which is, when things get tough, they ALWAYS stay consistent with what they are doing.

Believe me, every single day, my brain provides me with a list of reasons why I am totally justified in not doing X. For example, going for a run, finishing an important task… generally, doing the RIGHT thing, that I know I should do to stay on track. There are so many reasons (or excuses) to NOT do something.

Whenever this occurred, rather than starting a mental battle of willpower, I used my defined “tiny habit” as a fallback position. So, an example could be - my evening run. As I considered doing this, my mind would come up with the usual list… The weather is too bad, I'm too tired, I have too much “other stuff” to do, I might get ill through pushing myself too hard, etc., etc…

I would just agree, and say “well, instead of going for a run, I will just do a short walk”. So, I’d get my running gear on, go outside and walk. Before long, I am running again. This little tactic meant that I stay consistent in all my habits. And it is only when doing this that real progress is made. Then the reward coming in from this changed my identity and at that point I’m unstoppable