Mental health and daily habits are intertwined. In addition, changing the habits that cause our mental and physical well-being to suffer can have an extremely positive impact on all areas of life. However, of course, building those habits is easier said than done! If you feel like you lack the motivation, time, or resources to become who you want to be, you are not the only one. Just look at the 96% of people who fail when trying to better themselves! Thanks to the James Clear’s Billionaire Algorithm, you can finally break this vicious circle.
Learn how to take the steps toward better habits (and mental health!) in this guide.
How Habits Affect Your Mental Health: An Overview of Behavioral Health
The habits that we have formed over the years shape who we are today ― and can influence our chances of becoming who we want to be in the future. So much so that there is an entire field of study (behavioral science) that focuses on how our behaviors affect our mental health and physical well-being.
Have you ever wondered how entrepreneurs maintain their mental health while running a high-stress startup? Alternatively, why are some people more successful in improving their lives or careers?
While multiple factors might come into play, a lot has to do with the habits they are able to form. For example, your eating habits affect your health in the long term, your ability to achieve your fitness goals, and even your on-the-job performance. While some habits, like keeping your apartment clean, might be easier to establish, some others can be challenging to change.
The Billionaire Algorithm below can help. However, do not forget that for persistent and addictive behaviors (such as alcohol and drug abuse), you might need to partner with behavioral health specialists such as the team at Roots Through Recovery.
Changing Your Life (and Mental Health) with the Billionaire Algorithm
The Billionaire Algorithm is a method conceptualized by James Clear, speaker and author of Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
In particular, the Billionaire Algorithm uses a 4-step process to help people build habits that are more conducive to success, physical well-being, and better mental health.
Looking beyond motivation and basing claims on behavioral studies, James Clear’s approach can help you set up your life in a way that makes it easier to establish positive habits.
How Does the Billionaire Algorithm Work? Four Steps to Transforming Your Life
Scientists have conducted research on how habits are formed for decades. Moreover, since the studies published by plastic surgeon Maxwell Maltz in the 1950s, which suggested that it takes at least 21 days to form a habit, the body of research has grown significantly.
Thanks to studies published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, we now know that it takes an average of 66 days to form a habit, but this timeframe can stretch to 254 days.
In addition, maintaining your motivation consistently high throughout this time might not be possible. That is why the four steps of James Clear’s Billionaire Algorithm are so efficient:
1. Noticing
The first step is to notice what habits you wish to change and actively look for new ones to implement. After all, if a habit is not in your realm of knowledge, or you do not know that options exist, you will not be able to switch to it.
Once you are aware of your goal, look beyond motivation. Instead, give that habit a place and time to exist in your routine. Just making space for it in your schedule will help you stick to it.
2. Wanting
One of the key principles behind the Billionaire Algorithm is that the environment you are in matters more than motivation when forming new habits. If the actions you wish to do are at the center of your environment, you are more likely to engage with them.
3. Doing
When starting a new habit, we always focus on the end result (i.e.: losing weight). Instead, focus on the “starting line”. For example, focus on the moment you walk into the gym or start your workout.
4. Liking
Bad habits often offer immediate rewards and delayed consequences. These are reasons why it is easy to fall back into them. Instead, good habits might take time and effort but lead to long-term results.
You can make it easier to stick to your new routine and goals by looking into the habit you are trying to form and identifying immediate rewards. For example, you might enjoy exercising more when focusing on the “runner’s high” feeling!
In addition, remember that while transforming yourself takes months or years, any habit starts in just 2 minutes — and it is those 2 minutes each day that lead to long-term rewards!
