Nature sheds the old to make way for new growth, and it’s a reminder that we can do the same with our habits.
I’ve recently revisited a book that I cannot recommend highly enough, one that quietly changes the way you see yourself and the small things you do every day — Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Clear’s central message is simple but powerful: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
In other words, success doesn’t come from willpower alone.
It comes from designing your daily environment and routines so that the right actions become automatic.
He shares four “laws of behaviour change” that act like a blueprint:
- Make it obvious: Put cues in front of you so you don’t forget the habit.
- Make it attractive: Tie the habit to something enjoyable.
- Make it easy: Shrink it down until it feels almost effortless.
- Make it satisfying: Build in a reward so your brain wants to repeat it.
Another idea I love is ‘the one per cent’. If you get just one per cent better each day, the compound effect over a year is extraordinary.
Conversely, if you slip one per cent backwards daily, that compounds too.
It’s a reminder that small choices aren’t small at all — they’re the seeds of who we become.
As the seasons shift into spring, I’ve been thinking about how these principles can help me shed old habits and embrace new ones.
Much like pruning back a garden, letting go creates space for growth.
For me, the weeds I want to pull up are:
- Snacking after dinner.
- Saying “um” more than I’d like.
- Self-doubt. (The classic unnecessary spiral — IYKYK.)
And the seeds I want to plant are:
- Dancing every single day with my daughter.
- Practising intermittent fasting more frequently — committing to 15-hour fasts (6-6.30pm – 9-9.30am) at least five days per week.
- Swimming laps as often as possible.
Clear also emphasises that habits are tied to identity.
It’s not just about “trying harder”, but about deciding who you want to be.
Instead of saying, “I’m trying not to snack”, I can shift it to, “I’m someone who ends the day with discipline and self-control”.
And rather than worrying about every little “um”, I can practise seeing myself as a speaker who pauses with intention.
He also suggests “habit stacking” — pairing a new habit with one you already do.
For example: After I make my morning coffee, I’ll stretch for two minutes.
Linking new actions to existing routines makes them stick, turning everyday moments into cues for lasting change.
And maybe that’s the real lesson: growth doesn’t happen in one leap.
Nature doesn’t bloom all at once; it grows steadily, persistently, in small, but visible ways. Our habits can too.
I’ll be over here tending my little patch of habits this spring.
Wish me luck, and I hope this might inspire you to start your own little patch also.
James Clear can certainly help.
