3 Powerful Questions To Choose the Right Habit

The most common mistake people make when improving themselves through habit-building is choosing too many habits to develop at once.

The truth is, unless we’re habit-building ninjas, we only have enough willpower and energy to develop one new habit at a time. Any more than that, and our chances of success go down significantly. So, knowing that, it’s very important to choose just one.

But, the challenge doesn’t end there. Choosing the wrong habit is obviously a huge time-sink. But, it’s not about choosing the perfect habit either. Instead, it’s about choosing the right habit for yourself — and these three questions will help you do exactly that.

Ways To Choose The Right Habit To Focus On

Before you ask yourself these questions, create a list of five habits that you’d like to develop, and circle out one which you think has the most positive effect. For example, your list can look something like this:

• Wake up at 5 AM
• Read for one hour a day
• Minimize negative self-talk
• Walk 30 minutes a day
• Lower unproductive screen time

But, after asking yourself these three questions, you might come to the conclusion that if you work on the second habit in the list — reading for one hour a day — it might have the most positive impact on your life. So, your list changes:

• Wake up at 5 AM
• Read for one hour a day ✅
• Minimize negative self-talk
• Walk 30 minutes a day
• Lower unproductive screen time

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean that you ignore the other habits. You will get to them eventually. But, first, you prioritize the one you’re confident has the most benefits. So, without further ado, let’s get to the questions:

1. “Does this habit guarantee the achievement of my goals?”

You probably already know that developing habits you’re passionate and excited about makes the process easier since there’s already some degree of positive momentum present. But, it’s not only limited to passion, though. You also need to consider if the habit relates to your goal somehow.

As you know, habits are something that you do every day. So, if you attach a habit to an end goal, it can be a huge step. This is because you can automate it, and guarantee consistent daily progress. It doesn’t leave anything up to chance, and puts you in a zone of action. That can be very powerful.

In the above list, if your goal is to lose weight, “Walk 30 minutes a day” makes the most sense. On the other hand, if you want to increase your productivity, “Lower unproductive screen time” is the way to go. So, when choosing a habit to develop, ask yourself if it can guarantee the achievement of your goals in some way.

2. “Can any of my current habits act as a launchpad for this new habit?”

If you want to develop a new habit, it always helps if a small version of it is already part of your daily routine. Otherwise, you need to start from square one, which isn’t fun.

Let me explain.

Suppose you want to develop the habit of reading for one hour a day. Is there another activity in your day that you can replace it with? For example, maybe after lunchtime you have the habit of going through your social media feed for about an hour or so. This can easily be replaced by an hour of reading. One smart way to do this is to simply place an e-reader on the desk where you usually keep your phone.

The biggest benefit of developing new habits using old habits as a launchpad is that you can optimize the habit for maximum benefits immediately instead of trying to adopt it in the first place. Read this blog post for more information on the three stages of successful habit building.

3. “Will it have a positive effect on all parts of my life?”

When choosing a new habit to develop, it helps to choose one that has an overall positive effect on all parts of your life rather than just one. These habits are generally called keystone habits, and if developed properly, they have a positive ripple effect on your life.

In the aforementioned list, all five habits are keystone habits. For instance, developing the habit of walking 30 minutes a day won’t only improve your health, but it also add more energy and zest to your life. Of course, that’ll improve your productivity and overall success as well.

In my book Plus Habits, I describe the science behind keystone habits, and also talk about five of the most powerful keystone habits that you can adopt into your life. So, be sure to check it out!

The One

Oftentimes, choosing the right habit in itself is half of the battle. So, if you answered these questions honestly and found the right habit for yourself, you’ve already made a lot of progress.

Now that you know which habit you’d like to develop, you can read other habit-building related blog posts for further guidance.

Want to learn about the science behind habits, and read about 25 powerful habits that will help you get better results in all parts of your life?! Grab a copy of my book Plus Habits!