- A big mistake people make when starting new habits is not preparing ahead of time.
- Technology entrepreneur Ron Gutman shared his “Stoke, Stage, Stack” framework for making habits last.
- Gutmann is always prepared for the environment, so he keeps running 365 days a year, even when it's snowing.
What is the secret to making habits stick? One tech entrepreneur shared his “Stoke, Stage, Stack” framework for turning goals into long-term habits.
Ron Gutman is a technology and healthcare entrepreneur and co-founder of Intrivo, the digital health company that invented the On/Go COVID-19 rapid at-home test used by millions of people in the United States. is. Gutman is also an adjunct professor at Stanford University.
Gutman spoke to Business Insider about what it takes to be successful in the habit-building process. He explained that the mistake most people make is jumping into a habit right away without any preparation or planning.
Instead, he suggests a three-step habit cycle that includes stalking, staging, and stacking.
stoke
It may be tempting to set ambitious or far-reaching goals because you think they are impressive in the eyes of others, but if you are not passionate about the goal, it is unlikely to last. .
Gutman said, “First of all, you have to be excited. If you want to create a habit, you have to be passionate about it. You have to be motivated. I have to really get into it.” he said.
He said it's important to have the right mindset first.
That sense of excitement and passion will motivate you to continue with the habit, which will naturally become more fulfilling and rewarding.
stage
A key element in the habit-building cycle is optimizing your environment and making sure you have everything you need to get started.
If you don't have the tools or the right environment to implement your habits, you'll always run into obstacles.
“I run every morning, 365 days a year,” Gutman said, adding that she runs at the beach or in the park. “Why am I doing this? First of all, I have shoes that I really like. If I didn't have the right running shoes, I would get injured very quickly. .I would stop.”
He said he runs on the sandy beaches because they are soft, and on the grass in parks because the asphalt is hard on his knees.
“So I try to present the environment in a way that keeps it sustainable. Think about where you stand, make sure you have the right kind of water in front of you, the right kind of clothes. I try to wear it.”
If you're traveling to a place with a different climate, bring your running gear with you so you don't break the habit.
“We spend a lot of time promoting and directing things beforehand, because the director gives us excuses like, “Oh, it's cold outside, it's raining. Well, it's snowing outside, so I might not exercise today.'' No, if I'm going somewhere where it's snowing, I'm going to bring snow running gear.”
stack
The final step is to stack the habit on top of your existing habits, dramatically increasing your chances of keeping it.
This is commonly known as “habit stacking” and is referenced in the following article: James Clear's 2018 book Atomic Habits. When you want to change, adding new habits to old ones will make it easier to complete.Thanks to this concept, Mr. Clear “Tiny Habits” by B.J. Fogg program.
It works because “there's already a cycle going on there and we associate it with that,” Gutman says.
“This is what BJ Fogg called a trigger. There's nothing between waking up in the morning, getting out of bed, putting on your running shoes, getting water, and going for a run. Nothing beats zero. there is no.
“The act of getting out of bed makes me want to put on my shoes, drink some water, and go for a run. There's nothing between the two, they're always connected.”
Gutman gave the example of brushing teeth, a habit that most people have layered on top of other habits since childhood.
“Brushing your teeth is something that most people do every day because it involves their morning and evening routines. They brush their teeth when they wake up in the morning, and they brush their teeth when they go to bed.
“You're stacking. My parents taught me to stack this habit on two things that happen every day, so it's tied into my morning routine of waking up in the morning and going to bed at night.”
