4. Keystone Habits - Which habits matter most

Some habits have the power to start a chain reaction, changing other habits as they move through an organisation. These are keystone habits.

Keystone habits start a process that , over time, transforms everything.

Take, for instance, studies from the past decade examining the impacts of exercise on daily routines.

When people start habitually exercising, they start changing other, unrelated patterns in their lives, often unknowingly. Typically, people who exercise, start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and feel less stressed. Its not completely clear why. But for many people, exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change. Exercise spills over. There is something about it that makes other good habits easier.

Studies have documented that families who habitually eat dinner together seem to raise children with better homework skills, higher grades, greater emotional control and more confidence.

Making your bed every morning is co-related with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. Somehow those initial habits start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold.

However, identifying keystone habits is tricky.

Keystone habits offer "small wins". They help other habits to flourish by creating new structures and they establish cultures where change becomes contagious. Once a "small win" has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favour another "small win". Small wins fuel transformative changes by leveraging tiny advantages into patterns that convince people that bigger achievements are within reach.

Keystone habits make tough choices easier.