From James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits”
To keep up a habit, you must make a habit contract.
- “Thankfully, there is a straightforward way to add an immediate cost to any bad habit: create a habit contract.” (p. 207)
- “A habit contract is a verbal or written agreement in which you state your commitment to a particular habit and the punishment that will occur if you don’t follow through. Then you find one or two people to act as your accountability partners and sign off on the contract with you.” (p. 208)
Example of a Habit Contract:
Bryan Harris made a habit contract with his wife and trainer.
- “Write down all food that he consumes each day and weigh himself each day.”
- And then he listed the punishment if he failed: “If Bryan doesn’t do these two items then the following consequence will be enforced: He will have to dress up each workday and each Sunday morning for the rest of the quarter.
- Dress up is defined as not wearing jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, or shorts. He will also give Joey (his trainer) $200 to use as he sees fit if he misses one day of logging food.”
- At the bottom of the page, Harris, his wife, and his trainer all signed the contract.
- “My initial reaction was that a contract like this seemed overly formal and unnecessary, especially the signatures. But Harris convinced me that signing the contract was an indication of seriousness. “Anytime I skip this part,” he said, “I start slacking almost immediately.” (p. 208)
“Even if you don’t want to create a full-blown habit contract, simply having an accountability partner is useful.”
- “The comedian Margaret Cho writes a joke or song every day. She does the “song a day” challenge with a friend, which helps them both stay accountable. Knowing that someone is watching can be a powerful motivator.”
- “You are less likely to procrastinate or give up because there is an immediate cost. If you don’t follow through, perhaps they’ll see you as untrustworthy or lazy. Suddenly, you are not only failing to uphold your promises to yourself, but also failing to uphold your promises to others.”