Atomic Tactics - Building Consistency in Health, Fitness and Jiu-Jitsu
Excel at creating systems that harness habits to sustain your practice goals
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
- James Clear, author of Atomic Habits
To excel at any skill, you need to create and maintain systems that build routines and incorporate habits to support consistent practice. A good system ensures you practice without relying on motivation. By building routines within systems, you can purposefully train both your mind and body.
Practice Practice Practice
The old adage "practice makes perfect" remains true because it is true. Advancing any skill requires consistent practice. The more you practice, the better you become. However, to sustain practice, you need systems of routines and habits that support it. Ideally, these systems require little thought, allowing you to "just do it" without thinking.
For instance, consider how you take a shower every morning without thinking about it—it's part of your routine. A good training system should be the same: automatic and effortless.
Goals Are Not Enough
Understanding why you practice is the starting point for mastering a new skill and establishing a reliable system. It's important to know both short-term and long-term goals. However, goals alone aren't enough. You must identify goals and then build the habits to support them.
For example, a short-term goal might be to master a new Jiu-Jitsu technique, while a long-term goal could be achieving a Black Belt.
Goal = Reason to Engage a Habit
Habits Are the Building Blocks
Habits are behaviors you perform regularly and automatically, with little conscious thought. They are the fundamental building blocks of routines. Habits can be triggered by specific cues, requiring minimal effort to maintain. When these habits are deeply ingrained, they become rituals, sustaining who you are.
For instance, doing 50 pushups every day can become a ritual if it feels uncomfortable to skip.
Habit = Activity that Builds Towards a Goal Over Time
Routines are Consistent
Develop routines to support your goals. Routines are structured sequences of actions that make up the system. These patterns of behavior are scheduled and predictable, helping organize daily activities to ensure consistent outcomes.
For example, a routine might be doing 50 pushups (habit) every morning after you wake up (scheduled time).
Routine = Habit + Set Time for the Habit
Systems Reinforce Goals
With goals, habits, and routines in place, you can implement a system. A system is an overarching framework designed to help you achieve specific goals. A good system should be structured and adaptable, consisting of multiple routines and habits that work together to maintain consistency and achieve goals.
For example, a good system for Jiu-Jitsu might include set training times at the dojo, a dietary routine, and a physical training routine.
A System = the Framework for Habits and Routines that All Work Towards The Goal
Atomic Tactics from Atomic Habits
For many people though, building effective systems is an overly daunting task. Luckily there are simple principles available that can help anyone build, maintain and improve habits for systems.
One of the best books on building routines from habits is Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear. Clear is renowned for his work on habits and personal development. In his book, Clear lays out a comprehensive guide for harnessing the power of habits to achieve personal and professional goals. Clear explains: “Atomic habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. The same way that money multiplies through compound interest, the effects of your habits multiply as you repeat them.”
Clear provides key concepts for building better habits. These are tools and principles that can be implemented into routines to augment habits.
Atomic Habits
Atomic habits are small incremental changes that can lead to significant improvements and compound over time. These habits can be implemented with a cue and reinforced with a reward after the action takes place.
To implement atomic habits, establish a cue, engage the action, reap the reward.
For example:
Cue: After brushing your teeth in the evening
Action: Practicing the move you learned the day before at Jiu-Jitsu for 5 minutes
Reward: Marking off the training on your calendar and listening to some music
The 4 Laws of Behavioral Change
These 4 Laws of Behavioral Change can be implemented to create and sustain good habits:
Make it Obvious: create prompts for your behavior that are obvious
Example: Maintain set times for training for Jiu-Jitsu . Have set days of the week for when you go to Jiu-Jitsu will make it easier to go without having to think about when you go.
Make it Attractive: make habits that are appealing and desirable
Example: Visualize the goals you want from training such as improved skills, fitness, mental toughness and of course, Black Belt. Imagine how you will feel when you are able to accomplish the techniques you have set out to master and become a Black Belt.
Make it Easy: reduce friction to do the routine and reduce the number of steps required to complete the habit
Example: Focus on memorizing what you can. The rest will come in time with repeated practice. Clear says that when friction is low, it is easy to form habits
Make it Satisfying: use positive feedback to reinforce the habit
Example: Track your progress and be sure to celebrate your small wins at each stage of development. Keep notes after your training to track improvements.
Habit Stacking
Begin a second habit after completing the first habit. This is an excellent way to reinforce specific routines. Habit A, then habit B, then habit C.
Example: After waking up brush your teeth, then do 50 pushups, then do your calisthenics for the day
The Two Minute Rule
Create a habit that can be done in 2 minutes or less. This builds consistency.
Example: Keep your range of sets for each exercise to under 1 or 2 minutes.
Identity-Based Habits
Focus on who you want to become, rather that on what you want to achieve. Key in on what type of Jiu-Jitsuka you are instead of what you want to do with it. It’s a slight change, but it does shift the focus from motivation to identity development. Clear argues that this is one of the strongest ways to build better habits. Shape your identity around a desired habit to create a powerful feedback loop and you will reinforce that positive behavior.
Example: It’s not, “I want to do a competition,” it’s “I’m a disciplined and dedicated Jiu-Jitsuka.” Follow up by practicing regularly to reinforce it.
The Compound Effect
Over time, small changes can lead to significant changes.
Example: By attending practice 3 times a week, you will build towards your goal of achieving Black Belt.
Summary of Integration
Set a Goal
Develop a System
Establish Routines
Build Habits
Achieve Your Goals
Closing Thoughts
By applying the Four Laws of Behavioral Change and the principles of habit formation laid by James Clear from his book, Atomic Habits, you can develop robust routines that will aid you in developing your Jiu-Jitsu skills. These are your atomic tactics for building and maintaining a system to supports your training goals. As James Clear says, “The most effective way to change your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to become.”
