scott stonehouse

This principle applies whether it is working out, writing, studying, or [insert your desired habit].

I am not sure if I got the phrase from James Clear and Atomic Habits, but I certainly got the idea from his book.

One of the core principles of the book is that behavior change happens more effectively when working from Identity to Process to Outcomes, rather than starting with Outcomes and working in through Processes and then to Identity. This is because we naturally act out of who we are. And every action is a vote to reinforce or change our identity.

If we want to shape part of our identity around being someone who works out, then we need to work out consistently enough to convince ourselves that we are, in fact, someone who works out. Once we are convinced of that identity, it is easier to work out regularly because that is who we are. It is how we see ourselves. But if we never work out, we lose that sense of identity because we don’t have enough “votes” to convince ourselves it is true.

A helpful observation is that, like a political election, a candidate doesn’t need to get 100% of the vote. He or she just needs to get enough to win. Similarly, we don’t necessarily need to work out every day to reinforce the identity, but it needs to be enough times regularly to convince ourselves it is true.

Which is why a bad work out is better than no work out because a bad work out is still a work out. It is still a vote for “I am the type of person who works out” whereas no work out is a vote against that identity.

I have a minimum threshold for my habits. Each threshold is incredibly low. Why? Because I want to make it ridiculously easy to “count” as being done. That might be 10 push-ups for working our or five minutes reading my Bible. I rarely ever only do the minimum threshold, but when I do that is OK because I am still casting a vote for the identity I want — for who I am — and that is more important that how much I did that day.

That’s why a bad day working out is better than no day working out.