Starting the Year with Keystone Habits
“This school year I will (insert your favorite start of the year goal)…”
Goals are nice. Goals are fun. Goals are even helpful in setting direction. But goals, on their own, don’t result in performance. So what’s the “secret sauce”? Talent? Hard work? Position? Resources? Vision?
While all of these may impact performance in some way, nothing influences performance more than HABITS. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits,
“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems (habits) are best for making progress.”
In other words, habits are the entry point toward achieving a goal. One cannot simply set a goal, no matter how big or small, and sit back and expect results. The potential energy in a goal can only be unleashed through habits. Furthermore, your habits may have a greater impact on your daily life than what you realize. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day.
Drilling down deeper into the topic of habits, we can learn that not all habits are created equal. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, discusses the topic of KEYSTONE HABITS. He believes that a keystone habit has the power to start a chain reaction. They help other habits flourish by creating small wins. They start a process that, over time, transforms everything. Keystone habits have three main characteristics:
They are small and easy.
They provide a tremendous impact on overall performance.
They lead to the development of other positive habits.
Your goal this school year is to share Jesus with your students and help them to grow. Your students, parents, and ministry teammates are counting on you! Take some time today to establish keystone habits. To get your wheels turning, here are some examples of keystone habits that could have a tremendous impact on your school year…and your mission of sharing Jesus with your students and families:
Establish an early morning routine of personal Bible study and 30 minutes of exercise.
Schedule a time every week with your spouse to unpack personal joys and challenges.
Start a daily ritual of talking to three different school parents every afternoon in the school parking lot to build better connections.
Pray for two different students every night before you go to sleep.
Schedule time on Friday and Saturday to get your school work done so that Sunday can be a true Sabbath for your soul and body before the start of another hectic week.
Eliminate your evening nightcap or junk food so that your sleep improves.
No matter what your keystone habit is, keep it simple, get some wins, and enjoy the momentum as transformational changes begin to take hold.
Thank you for all that you do for Christian education. May God bless the beginning of this new school year!
Looking for support as you set goals, seek new habits, and head into a new year? Consider getting a mentor!
At Blueprint Schools, we always aim to be in a “mentor sandwich.” Being in a mentor sandwich means that you’re aiming to be in the middle of mentorship: in the process of mentoring someone else AND in the process of being mentored yourself.
Schedule a consultation to learn more about our mentorship and leadership programs. (And if you don’t see a time there that works for you, don’t hesitate to send us an email at danakirchoff@gmail.com).
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