Building Habits from IKEA

Over the recent holiday break, my wife and I decided it was finally time to tackle "The Closet." You know the one—where shoes lived haphazardly on the floor and finding a specific hat felt like a scavenger hunt.

We did what many of you do: we went to IKEA, found a system that worked, emptied the space, painted it, and built a new world of drawers and shelves.

It looks awesome. But the real "magic" happened a few days later.

I noticed something: I was putting things away immediately. The shoes weren't on the floor. The hats were in their place. My habits had changed almost overnight—not because I suddenly gained a massive amount of willpower, but because the environment changed.

The Identity Iceberg and Your Business

In coaching, we often refer to the Identity Iceberg. Above the waterline, you see your Results and your Behaviors. But beneath the surface lie your Habits, Beliefs, Values, and Identity. Around all of this is the Environment

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says it best: "Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior." If you want to change your results in 2026, you can’t just "try harder." You have to change the environment that feeds your habits.

Your 2026 Challenge

I want you to identify two behaviors you want to improve this year. Then, identify one environmental change for each that will make that behavior inevitable.

Maybe it’s cleaning your office to improve focus. Maybe it’s joining a peer group to improve accountability.

Change Your Environment, Change Your Results

Unclear on where to start? Consider...

• Physical Environment: Desk, Office, Workspace, etc.

• Digital Environment: Email, Computer Desktop, File Storage, CRM, etc

• Social Environment: Business Partners, Team, Professional Resources, etc

• Systemic Environment: Calendar, Task Lists, Meeting Schedules and Locations, etc.

If you’re ready to change your professional environment, that’s exactly why we created our coaching communities:

• ActionMEMBERS: Change your environment from "isolated owner" to "supported leader" with monthly education and planning sessions. To learn more, visit ActionMEMBERS.

• ActionBOARD: Surround yourself with a "Board of Directors" who won’t let you slide back into old, messy habits. To learn more, visit ActionBOARD.

Stop fighting your environment. Redesign it.