One of my fondest childhood memories is going to my grandmother’s house for weekend trips. She really spoiled my brother Matt and me, especially with food.
The day before we visited, she stocked up at the supermarket. When we arrived at her place, there was pizza, sandwiches, potato chips, cookies, ice cream, and other goodies.
My grandmother served one food that Matt and I disliked, though. For breakfast, she made plain eggs. Compared with the other foods that she offered, the eggs were unappetizing.
One day, my grandmother had an idea. Rather than force us to eat plain eggs, she sprinkled sugar on them. That made them delicious for little Pete and little Matt! We started enjoying them without any struggle.
My grandmother’s trick was clearly not the healthiest. Still, it ultimately served as the inspiration for a strategy that I now refer to as adding Habit Sugar.
Always ask yourself how you can make your intended behavior (e.g., eating healthy meals, exercising, focusing on one task at a time, etc.) as enjoyable as possible. That way, willpower is not required.
Add some Habit Sugar by activating your senses in a positive way. Here are some examples:
- Taste: Rather than eating plain eggs (or eggs with real sugar!), add Habit Sugar for your taste buds. Eat your eggs with avocado, or make a tasty omelet with roasted vegetables.
- Vision: Rather than running on a treadmill indoors, add Habit Sugar for your eyes. Run outdoors on a beautiful trail.
- Hearing: Rather than working in silence, add Habit Sugar for your ears. Work while listening to beautiful, classical music.
- Smell: Rather than working in a fragrance-free room, add Habit Sugar for your nose. Light a scented candle.
- Touch: Rather than sleeping in an uncomfortable bedroom, add Habit Sugar for your body. Optimize your sleep environment with a comfortable mattress, sheets, and pillows.
The key message is to design your environment to support your senses and the habits that you want to form. Adding Habit Sugar helps you build habits that last.
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About Pete Leibman
Pete Leibman helps ambitious professionals build the energy, focus, and resilience to sustain high performance. He delivers keynotes, workshops, and webinars for leading consulting firms, law firms, financial services firms, and professional associations. Pete is the author of three books and more than 300 articles on sustainable high performance. His latest book is Stronger Advisor: High-Performance Habits for Consultants, Lawyers, and Advisors.
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