Every habit, every new intention you fail to do fails for 1 of three simple, boring reasons - I've coached hundreds of people for 18 years and I'm yet to see the exception.
Systems. Structure. Schedule.
1. Systems: Make it simple to do the right thing.
Have you made the right thing the simplest thing?
Are your healthy meals as effortless as your snacks, ready to grab the moment hunger strikes? Work-free? Immediate? Right there?
Can you work out in your pajamas at home?
Is giving feedback built right into your tools, meetings formats, or review forms, so it’s as natural as breathing?
Even better, have you made it the default? So it happens automatically unless you actively opt out?
2. Structure: Make it clear how it has to be done.
Is the process so obvious that there’s zero question about how to do it?
What exactly happens during your workout? What’s your go-to plan for the afternoon slump?
What does “good feedback” look like, step by step? What's your feedback checklist?
Even better, document it. Create your personal SOPs. Future-you will make you proud.
3. Schedule: Make it on time.
When does it happen? How often? Is it on your calendar, with reminders that fit your day, your flow not someone else’s?
Do you treat it as a non-negotiable, or as something you’ll “get to” when life finally calms down?
What’s your backup plan when the day goes off-script (as it always does)?
Even better, define the trigger that starts the action. Tie it to something already in your day: brushing your teeth, closing your laptop, finishing your coffee, finishing a stand-up or presentation, or a call.
It took me longer to write this than it’ll take you to design systems, structure, and schedule for anything that truly matters.
And it will make all the difference between another good intention, and a habit that actually sticks.
Have you tried the Triple-S approach? Why not?
