There is a concept in chemistry known as activation energy.
Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy that must be available for a chemical reaction to occur.
Nothing will happen because the energy needed to activate a chemical reaction and spark a fire is not present.
This post originally appeared onJames Clears blog.
You have to add some extra energy to the equation to push the boulder to the top.
Once youve reached the peak, however, the boulder will roll the rest of the way by itself.
Similarly, chemical reactions require additional energy to get started and then proceed the rest of the way.
For habits, its the same story.
The more difficult or complex a behavior, the higher the activation energy required to start it.
Meanwhile, doing 100 pushups per day is a habit with a much higher activation energy.
Its going to take more motivation, energy, and grit to start complex habits day after day.
In short, you get stuckdreaming about life-changing outcomes rather than making lifestyle improvements.
The problem is that big goals often require big activation energies.
This is lesson one:Smaller habits require smaller activation energies and that makes them more sustainable.
Chemists are no different.
A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction.
Basically, a catalyst lowers the activation energy and makes it easier for a reaction to occur.
The catalyst is not consumed by the reaction itself.
Its just there to make the reaction happen faster.
The most powerful catalyst for building new habits isenvironment design(what some researchers callchoice architecture).
Imagine you are trying to build the habit of writing for 15 minutes each evening after work.
With so many distractions, its likely that youll fall off track with your writing habit at some point.
Your environment can catalyze your habits in big and small ways.
So, rather than going straight from A to B, you go from A to X to B.
An intermediate step needs to occur before we go from starting to finishing.
There are all sorts of intermediate steps with habits as well.
Say you want to build the habit of working out.
Heres the important part: Each intermediate step has its own activation energy.
Put another way, which step has the activation energy that prevents the habit from happening?
Some intermediate steps might be easy for you.
Or you may discover that you dont enjoy working out in public with strangers.
For example, perhaps going to the gym in the morning would allow you to avoid rush hour traffic.
the biggest sticking points).
The fundamental principles of chemistry reveal some helpful strategies that we can use to build better habits.
Every habit has an activation energy that is required to get started.
The smaller the habit, the less energy you oughta start.
Catalysts lower the activation energy required to start a new habit.
Optimizing your environment is the best way to do this in the real world.
In the right environment, every habit is easier.
Even simple habits often have intermediate steps.
Eliminate the intermediate steps with the highest activation energy and your habits will be easier to accomplish.
And thats the chemistry of building better habits.
Thousands of people have attended his online seminars onHabits,Willpower, andProcrastination.
Top image byMaya2008andMapensStudio(Shutterstock).
