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Can you transform the success of your business by unlocking the power of habit change?

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Wouldn’t it be amazing if you saw tangible progress in your business – every single day?

What if, instead of feeling overwhelmed, you could walk into the office each morning with a sense of purpose, knowing that the work you’re doing is moving you toward your goals?

Here’s a quick Business Breakthrough you can start implementing today to make that vision a reality:

KEY FACT: Habits drive our daily lives...

Research shows that for about half of our waking hours, we operate on autopilot, relying on habits. One study even suggests that 90% of our day is driven by automatic behaviours!

As a leader in your business, you want to see results, right? Well, learning how to change habits is the key to unlocking better results for you and your team.

"Old habits die hard" - or do they?

We’ve all heard the saying, but it’s wrong! Old habits don’t die at all. Instead, they get replaced with new ones. Habits are incredibly resilient, which is why they can be both powerful and hard to change.

For example, in Alcoholics Anonymous, members greet each other by acknowledging their old habits – “Hi, I’m [Name], and I’m an alcoholic.” The phrase “old habits die hard” is misleading. Habits don’t vanish; they evolve.

IN A NUTSHELL

You don’t need to get rid of your old habits – you just need to replace them with new ones that support your goals.

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“The truth is, the brain can be reprogrammed. You just have to be deliberate about it. Habits aren’t destiny.”

Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit

What does this mean for your business?

In business, what you achieve is directly linked to how you manage each day’s 24 hours. To grow your business, you need to make habit change a strategic priority. Once you understand the 5 habit triggers – the key cues that set your routines into motion – you can begin to reshape your daily behaviours for better results.

In his book The Power of Habit – Why We Do What We Do and How to Change, Charles Duhigg outlines the 5 essential triggers that drive every habit. Once you recognise and manage these triggers, you can redirect your autopilot to create positive habits that lead to success:

1
Location - Where do you perform your habit?
2
Time - When does it occur?
3
People - Who's around you during this habit?
4
Preceding Action - What happens right before the habit?
5
Emotional State - How do you feel during the habit?

STOP thinking that just because something has always been done one way it cannot be changed.

START investing time, effort and energy into making small regular steps towards changing the habits in your business.

Start small and build your habit changing muscles...

To make lasting change, it’s best to start small. Begin with personal habits before tackling business-wide changes. Here are some simple habits you can try today:

Change your route to work
Drink water with every meal
Brush your teeth differently (yes, really!)
Stand up when talking on the phone
Plan your day before diving into tasks
Get up 30 minutes earlier

By tweaking just one of these habits, you’re setting yourself up for success.

For example, you may brush your teeth in the same spot every morning, but if you change the location, you’re disrupting your autopilot and creating a trigger to brush your teeth differently.

Personal habit example:

You brush your teeth in an identical way every morning. All five triggers are at play.

1
Same location (your bathroom)
2
Same time (first thing in the morning)
3
Same people present (maybe nobody)
4
Same preceding action (toothpaste!)
5
Same emotional state (groggy?)

Chances are, you start brushing your teeth in the same spot every morning, too, without thinking – I start top left, where do you start?

Change a trigger and watch what happens…

Try putting the toothpaste on in a different location – when you do, you create a conscious trigger to brush your teeth differently.

What does habit change look like for your business?

A great habit to implement is planning your day before you start. The most productive people set goals and prioritise their tasks first thing.

Without this planning, you risk wasting time reacting to whatever comes your way.

Here’s how you can apply the 5 triggers to planning your day:

Location: Don’t go straight to work – try planning at a café instead.
Time: Start planning earlier to minimise distractions.
People: Be alone when planning to focus without distraction.
Preceding Action: Drive to work via the café.
Emotional State: You’ll likely feel calmer and in control when you change your routine.

The power of small habit changes...

You may be wondering, “Why is habit change so hard?” Well, it's not meant to be easy. Change is challenging, but it’s also the key to success. Your competition is facing the same struggles, but by mastering your habits, you gain a competitive edge.

Studies suggest it can take anywhere from 66 to 260 days to solidify a new habit, far longer than the often-quoted 21 days.

So instead of rushing the process, start small and focus on one habit at a time. For instance, you could begin by planning your day each morning or by arriving early for meetings.

The power of small habit changes...

Habit change isn’t just about you – it’s about your entire team. Changing habits in your business may seem daunting, but starting with one small shift can make a significant difference.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Turn up 5 minutes early to meetings: Being late never sets you up for success.
Plan your day, plan your week: Freewheeling won’t get you where you want to go.
Conduct 30-minute weekly team training: Keep your team sharp and motivated.
Make meetings stand-up meetings: They’re faster, more energetic, and productive.

Another view on the power of habits comes from James Clear's best-selling book, Atomic Habits.

James believes that small changes lead to big results. The core idea is that tiny, consistent improvements, what Clear calls ‘atomic habits’, compound over time and lead to massive transformation. A 1% improvement every day results in a 37x improvement over a year.

He introduces a simple framework for habit formation, which he calls the Four Laws of Behaviour Change:

1. Make it obvious: The first step to building a good habit is to make it clear and visible. You need to make the cue for the habit as obvious as possible.

Implementation intentions: Write down exactly when and where you'll perform a habit.

Habit stacking: Attach a new habit to an existing one. For example, "After I make my morning coffee, I will meditate for 2 minutes."

Make it attractive: Make the habit appealing by associating it with something you enjoy. This is the principle of temptation bundling – pair something you need to do with something you want to do.

Motivational rituals: Create an environment where the habit feels rewarding. For example, reward yourself with a favourite activity after doing something productive.

Make it easy: The simpler and easier a habit is, the more likely you are to do it. Reduce friction to make it easier to take action.

Two-minute rule: To avoid procrastination, scale down your habits to take no longer than 2 minutes. For example: “I’ll read one page of a book.”

Environment design: Change your environment to make good habits easier and bad habits more difficult. For example, leave your workout clothes out and ready or remove junk food from your house.

Make it satisfying: Immediate rewards help reinforce habits. If the outcome is satisfying, you’ll be more likely to repeat the behaviour.

Habit tracking: Tracking your progress visually (using a calendar or app) makes the habit more satisfying because it shows progress.

Accountability: Share your progress with others, or set up a reward system to keep yourself motivated.

Clear believes you should focus on who you want to become and argues that the key to lasting habit change is shifting your focus from goals to identity. Instead of saying "I want to lose weight" (a goal), say "I am someone who takes care of my health" (an identity).

Identity-based habits are more sustainable because they align with your sense of self.

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““Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Clear emphasises that even the smallest habit changes, compounded over time, can lead to extraordinary results. By focusing on small improvements and leveraging the power of identity, environment, and consistency, anyone can create lasting, positive habits and break bad ones.

Here are 2 great stories from James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, that illustrate the power of habit change:

1. The British Cycling Team: From worst to best

One of the most powerful stories in Atomic Habits is about how the British Cycling Team went from being the laughingstock of the sport to dominating international competitions.

For decades, British cyclists were underperforming. They hadn’t won a major Tour de France in over 100 years, and the team was seen as mediocre at best.

Enter Dave Brailsford, who became the team's performance director in 2003. His approach? "The aggregation of marginal gains." Brailsford focused on making small, incremental improvements in every aspect of the cyclists' performance, even those that seemed insignificant.

For example:

Slight adjustments were made to the bike seats for comfort.
The team members were encouraged to sleep in the best possible conditions by using special mattresses and pillows.
They were taught how to wash their hands in the most hygienic way to avoid illness.
They even painted the inside of their team truck white to make it easier to spot dust and dirt (which could affect the quality of their equipment).

These tiny habit changes compounded over time, and the results were astonishing. Within just a few years, the team won numerous Olympic gold medals and went on to dominate the Tour de France.

British cyclists were now consistently ranked among the best in the world, all thanks to focusing on small, seemingly insignificant, improvements.

2. The power of the 1% rule: The story of the Japanese Seiji Nishida

Seiji Nishida is a real-life example of how small daily actions can lead to massive success, which is a key concept in Atomic Habits. Seiji, a former amateur baseball player, had a goal to become the best pitcher in Japan. His approach was simple but profound: he made incremental improvements every day.

Nishida was not an exceptionally talented pitcher when he started his career. He wasn't the strongest or the fastest, but he had a desire to improve.

He adopted the 1% improvement mindset. Each day, he made tiny adjustments to his throwing technique, focusing on improving his form, increasing his endurance, and perfecting his control. Every time he pitched, he aimed to be 1% better than the last time.

Instead of focusing on giant leaps or drastic changes, he focused on making small tweaks that would build over time.

Through daily practice and marginal gains, Nishida eventually became one of Japan’s most successful pitchers. His story is a perfect example of how the aggregation of small habits can lead to extraordinary success. It wasn’t about dramatic overhauls; it was about focusing on the tiny changes that, over time, would compound into significant improvements.

These two stories emphasise the power of small, consistent habits and how minor improvements, when compounded over time, can lead to outstanding results – whether in sports, business, or personal development.

James Clear uses these stories to illustrate how the ‘atomic’ habits of everyday life can lead to massive transformations.

Start with your 'Make It Happen' checklist or read on for the full Business Breakthrough. Use your device's back arrow to return to this point.

YouR MAKE IT HAPPEN CHECKLIST

Choose a new habit: Pick just ONE habit to focus on – maybe it’s planning your day before you start or arriving early to meetings.

Identify the old routine: What bad habit are you replacing?

Identify the reward: What craving is driving your old habit?

Identify the cues: What location, time, or action triggers your old routine?

Create a plan: Choose how you’ll respond to those cues to form a new habit.

Click here to read this whole Business Breakthrough . Use your device's back arrow to return to this point.

TIME TO DISAGREE

“Why does habit change have to be so long-winded? I’d prefer a quick fix!”

If medical research suggests that 6 of every 7 heart attack victims go back to the same routines once they recover, what chance does any quick-fix solution have?

The thing is, you don’t want it to be easy – you want it to be hard! It’s as hard for your competition as it is for you – only you now have the inside track. As Jim Rohn said: “Don’t wish it were easy, wish you were better.”

Habit change, by definition, is a long-term change.

So to make it easier, focus on one habit change at a time and make small steps. Tiny changes lead to big results.

“Managing my business is hard enough as it is, I can’t see how I can tackle habit change too.”

Fair point. But can you see that by starting with a simple habit change, you will be on your way to tackling those bad habits lurking in your business?

“Purposefully choosing new habits to replace old habits will greatly increase your chances of changing bad habits.” – Charles Duhigg

“I don’t know which habits are getting a good or a bad result in my business.”

Because we are so attached to the way we work, it can be tough to spot a need for change.

However, there are people around you who’ll be very willing to point out your bad work habits! Your spouse, your colleagues, and your customers can all act as catalysts for your habit change.

Are you brave enough to ask the question:

“If you could suggest one work habit for me to change, to help improve our results, what would you say?” – Jack D. Hodge

Getting your team onboard with habit change

You don’t have to do it alone. One company developed a “10 before 10” sales habit – making 10 calls before 10am. Everyone stands during this activity, which changes the physical cues and enhances energy.

You can create a similar initiative with your team.

For instance, what if everyone in your business agreed to tackle emails only at certain times of the day, reducing distractions and improving focus?

ULTIMATE ARGUMENT: “Will habit change work for my business?”

You won’t know until you try! Change is hard, but it's worth it. By understanding the 5 cues of habit change, you can start making small tweaks in your personal habits and then expand them to your business.

Here’s a challenge: If you could change just one habit to improve your business results, what would it be?

Want to learn more...

Want more insights on habit change? Check out The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do and How to Change, by Charles Duhigg.

It’s filled with inspiring stories and practical advice to help you make lasting habit changes in your personal life and your business.

The Power of Habit - Why we do what we do and how to change.

Charles Duhigg

Start small. Change one habit at a time. With each change, you’ll unlock more opportunities for growth and success.

Also check out Atomic Habits, by James Clear, which explores how small, consistent changes in behaviour can lead to remarkable results over time. Clear breaks down the science of habit formation and offers a practical framework for building good habits and breaking bad ones.

Central to the book is the idea that real change comes not from sudden, massive action, but from tiny improvements made daily. With a mix of psychology, real-life examples, and actionable advice, Atomic Habits empowers readers to take control of their routines and achieve meaningful personal and professional growth.