Part 1: How to Find Your Anchor Habits (aka Vital Behaviors)
When life gets messy, motivation disappears, and time is short… What do you fall back on?
For a lot of people, the answer is: nothing. They fall out of the routine entirely, feel like they’re “off track,” and wait for some magical clean slate (like Monday) to start again.
But what if you had just a few small behaviors to keep you grounded, no matter what’s happening around you?
We call those anchor habits. In the coaching world, they’re also known as vital behaviors — the consistent, high-impact actions that help you keep momentum. You don’t need a long checklist. You just need a few things that help you feel like you.
💡 What Is an Anchor Habit?
An anchor habit is something small but powerful — a habit that connects you to the version of yourself you’re working to become. It's not about perfection or tracking every macro. It’s about identity and momentum.
Some examples:
- Drinking a full glass of water before coffee
- Having a list of meals (and food on hand) for the week
- Moving your body for 5–10 minutes every morning
- Eating one serving of veggies at lunch
- Logging your food without judgment
- Going to bed by a consistent time on weeknights
🎯 Why They Matter
The more you repeat an action, the more you reinforce identity:
“I’m the kind of person who takes care of myself… even when it’s not perfect.”
In the book Crucial Influence, the authors call this idea vital behaviors — the handful of consistent actions that, when practiced regularly, lead to meaningful change. These are the behaviors that matter more than motivation. They’re your non-negotiables. Your anchors. Even if you can’t do any of the other actions you’d like to, you can always do these.
🔍 How to Identify Your Anchor Habits
Here’s a simple 4-step process to help you figure out the 1–3 anchor habits that work for you — the ones you’ll come back to, even on hard days.
1. Reflect on your best days
Think back to a time when you felt “on track.” What were you doing consistently?
- What was your morning like?
- How were you fueling your body?
- Were you moving regularly? How?
- How did you handle stress or transitions?
These details matter. You’re not just looking for what worked — you’re looking for what felt doable and grounding.
2. Notice the ripple effect
Some behaviors have more impact than others. They tend to influence how the rest of your day goes.
Examples:
- When I move my body in the morning, I’m more likely to eat well.
- When I prep my lunch the night before, I snack less out of stress.
- When I pause before eating, I tend to eat slower and feel more satisfied.
Look for habits that create a ripple — one action that makes other healthy choices easier.
3. Keep it small (like… really small)
Your anchor habits need to work on your busiest, most stressful days. So keep them tiny and doable.
Ask yourself:
- Would I do this on a bad day?
- Would this still work if I had a sick kid, an unexpected meeting, or a bad night of sleep?
If not, scale it down.
4. Choose 1–2 to commit to
This isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing something consistently.
Choose just a couple — no more than two — that feel most realistic and most meaningful to you. These are your anchors. Write them down. Tell a coach or friend. Set a reminder. Make them part of your identity.
🧭 Your Non-Negotiables = Your Compass
When everything else feels overwhelming or unpredictable, these are the habits you fall back on. They give you structure, confidence, and momentum.
You're not starting over. You're just coming back to your anchor.
Next Up: Making Them Stick
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll break down how to actually follow through on your anchor habits — using a powerful framework called the six sources of influence.
Because choosing your vital behaviors is only step one… setting yourself up to succeed with them is where the magic happens.
