Make It Obvious

One of the methods for building a new habit in James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, is to Make It Obvious.

Not only does this help with building new habits - it also helps with consistency, and in my opinion - CONSISTENCY is the thing most of us struggle with the most.

For example, if we were to apply this to Dr. Ornish’s 4 pillars, how can we make “Eat Well” obvious?

• Counter - we always have a bowl of fruit on the counter full of bananas, apples, etc. We also have have jars of cashews, pistachios, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds with easy reach. If it’s visible….. in plain sight…. it’s pretty obvious.

• Freezer - when you open your freezer, what do you see? Pizzas? Ice cream? Your husband’s Jimmy Dean Biscuit Sausage Sandwiches? Push all of that stuff to the bottom or back. Better yet, if you have a spare freezer in the garage - move them out there (or donate them). Out of sight - out of mind right? Make sure your frozen fruit and veggies are the first thing you see when you open that door. Make it obvious.

• Fridge - now open your fridge - what do you see? Place all of the GOOD stuff at eye level. The grocery stores have been doing this for years. Leftover rice, potatoes, beans, hummus - all those should be front and center. Again move any temptation foods to the back or to another fridge. If your spouse or kids insist on having the lunch meat, cheese, things THEY like in the fridge - give them their own shelf - on the bottom or somewhere out of plain sight.

• Big Batches - 🎶”Oh I like big pots and I cannot lie”🎶. Make a BIG pot of potatoes, rice, beans, chili. I love my Instant Pot for this. Buy some cheap deli containers on Amazon. They come in 8, 16, and 32oz sizes and are perfect for stacking in the fridge (at eye level ), and they freeze well too.

• Prepping - spend some time washing and chopping some veggies. Carrot sticks, celery, broccoli, cauliflower. Meal time become so much easier when the prep work is already done and you have containers of rice or potatoes ready for you in the fridge.

What about exercising? How can we make that more obvious?

• Right now I am on day 14 of my streak doing DDP Yoga. So I already have my yoga mat laid out in front of the TV and ready to go.

• If you’re walking - place your walking shoes right by the front door.

• If you have an Apple Watch - have your Activity Rings all set up with notifications to remind you.

• Lay your exercise clothes out the night before.

• Keep a water bottle somewhere visible so it will remind you to use it

• Ask a friend to be an accountability parter and check in with you once a day

Here’s the thing.

Most of us already KNOW we should eat better. We KNOW we should move more. The problem is remembering to actually DO those things — especially when we’re tired, busy, stressed, or just not feeling particularly motivated.

So instead of relying on motivation, change your environment.

• Want to eat more fruit? Put it where you can see it.

• Want to eat more vegetables? Prep them and put them front and center in the fridge.

• Want to walk every morning? Put your shoes by the door.

• Want to exercise? Put the mat where you’ll practically trip over it.

And if there are things you’re trying to eat LESS of? Maybe those don’t need to be staring you in the face every time you open the refrigerator.

Because every one of those things becomes a little visual reminder:

This is what I said I wanted to do.

And every time you follow through, you’re making that new habit just a little bit stronger.

As the old saying goes:

“If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting.”

So if you want something to change, don’t make it harder than it has to be.

Make the good choice EASY. Make the good choice VISIBLE.

And most importantly...

Make It Obvious.