Habits First, Finish Line Later: How I'm Putting Into Practice The Science of Habits
Ready for a mid-year reset? In this post, I reflect on my evolving goals—including a new one to complete a sprint triathlon—and explore identity and habit design, inspired by "Atomic Habits."
We’re into the second quarter, so it’s a good time to check in on goals for the year. What goals did you set for yourself? How is your progress toward them?
At the beginning of the year, I set a few goals for my personal and professional life. If you read my diary from last week, you'll see that I’ve added a new one to complete a sprint triathlon. When considering this goal, I thought of pushing it to 2026. But it’s not like I aim to place; I want to finish.
Finishing will not take more than a year of training, so I moved it to this year. There’s a sprint triathlon at the end of August, which I’ll try. That is the new goal. It’s a risk to admit this new goal to you, but as a step of growth, I’m trying to share risks with unknown outcomes rather than just sharing the guaranteed victories. And, I still need to register for the race (gulp), but I’m sure the courage will come soon.
Importance of Identity
Talking about the goal is strategic for completing it, so even writing this post is helpful to the outcome. Thank you. This is one of the ideas in James Clear's bestselling book Atomic Habits. He writes that identity is the core of lasting change. So, if I talk about myself as “one training for a triathlon,” I will begin to see myself that way. The things I start to do differently will not be foreign actions that feel foreign; they will be actions that flow naturally from who I am, one training for a triathlon.
Growing up, I was a competitive swimmer, which might give me an advantage in the race. But my last swim meet was my senior year in high school, 30 years ago. Aside from short stints of fitness swimming, I haven’t swum laps for 30 years. That was when Clinton was President.
I’m a bit different now, more soggy around the mid-section, but unless I see myself as a swimmer, putting in the swim training will feel like a chore, and I’ll be less likely to succeed. It’s easy to abandon habits that don’t feel like part of you.
I am a swimmer.
I am a swimmer.
I am a swimmer.
The other day, I bought swim goggles and a training suit and booked a swim lane at the gym because swimmers do these things. They may seem basic, but they are vital to the journey.
Design for Success
Another one of Clear’s lessons is to design for success. It sounds simple, but having goggles, a training suit, and a pool to train in are components of a supportive environment for the swim aspect. He says to make it easy to follow through on your habits. Of course, in a triathlon, biking and running are other aspects of the race that deserve their own design, which makes this triathlon goal more complicated, but I’m thinking it through.
Clear’s significant insight is this: rather than focusing on the end goal, focus on the habits along the way. Many goals fail because a correct system wasn’t created to achieve them. However, a goal isn’t achieved in a vacuum; successful goals result from a carefully designed system.
Primer on Habits
If you could use help designing a system to achieve your goals, check out this eight-minute talk by James Clear on habits, along with a summary of his speech below:
Why Small Habits Matter More Than Big Goals
In a world obsessed with dramatic transformations and overnight success, James Clear reminds us that real change is often quiet and incremental. In his book Atomic Habits and his talks, he emphasizes that it's not the grand gestures but the tiny, consistent actions that shape our lives. Every small habit—reading a page, doing a push-up, or meditating for a minute—compounds over time, gradually transforming our identity and outcomes. The key is to focus not on the finish line, but on building a system that makes progress inevitable.
Designing for Success, Not Just Hoping for It
Many people believe they lack motivation, but they truly lack clarity. Clear introduces the concept of “implementation intentions”—specific plans that eliminate ambiguity and make habits easier to stick to. For example, instead of saying “I’ll work out more,” say “I’ll exercise for 20 minutes at 5 PM on Mondays in my living room.” He also stresses the importance of environment design: we are more likely to follow good habits when our surroundings support them. By making positive behaviors obvious and accessible, we reduce friction and increase consistency.
Identity: The Core of Lasting Change
Perhaps the most powerful idea in Atomic Habits is that actual behavior change is identity change. Every action we take is a vote for the person we want to become. Want to be a writer? Write something—anything—every day. Want to be fit? Show up for your workout, even if it’s short. Over time, these actions reinforce a new self-image. The goal isn’t just to achieve a result, but to become the person who naturally achieves those results. Habits are not just tools for productivity—they are the path to becoming your best self.