Building Good Habits: How Small Changes Can Shape My Success

What if the key to success wasn’t just about big goals, but about small, consistent habits? This was the idea I explored through reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. In this project, I learned that creating good habits can make a huge difference, not only this year but also in the years to come.

Answering the Driving Question: How Can Small Changes in My Habits Shape My Success This Year and Beyond?

To kick off grade 10, I set a learning intention focused on staying organized, balanced, and responsible in every area of my life. My goal was to take control of my habits to reach my full potential in school, work, sports, and my personal life. Through this project, I’ve discovered that the small choices I make every day are what drive my bigger achievements. Inspired by Atomic Habits, I wanted to create an artifact that would remind me of these commitments and keep me accountable.

Creating My Artifact: A Weekly Planner and Surfboard Eraser

This was my pitch for my artifact:
And this is how it turned out:

My artifact is a weekly planner on a whiteboard, designed to help me organize my week visually and stay on top of my goals. I also made a surfboard-shaped whiteboard eraser, representing my goal to “go with the flow” when things don’t go as planned. This planner is more than just a project—it’s a tool I use every day to track my progress, manage my time, and make sure I’m staying balanced across different areas of my life.

a video of my artifact:

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Habit Loop:

Throughout this project, we really focused on Clear’s concept of the habit loop: cue, craving, response, and reward. Breaking down each step helped me understand why certain habits stick and others don’t. By setting up my planner as a daily cue, I created a visual reminder to check in with my goals. The craving is my desire to feel organized and on track, which keeps me motivated to follow through. My response is the action of planning out my week and updating tasks, and the reward is the sense of accomplishment I feel when I see everything organized in front of me. Understanding the habit loop has made it easier for me to build routines that feel natural and rewarding.

How My Artifact Connects to Atomic Habits

The weekly planner I created for my careers class connects to the ideas in Atomic Habits really well. In the book, James Clear talks about how small, consistent actions can lead to big changes over time, and I can see that in the goals I’ve set for myself, like waking up at 7:30 AM and reading for 30 minutes a day. These are simple, achievable habits that fit with Clear’s advice to start small and make habits easy to stick with. By writing them down on my planner and seeing them every day, I’m making sure these habits become a regular part of my routine.

Clear also emphasizes designing your environment to help stick to habits, and I think my surfboard eraser is a good example of that. It’s a small, fun addition that makes using my planner more enjoyable, which helps me stay organized and motivated. This aligns with Clear’s advice to make habits attractive, so they’re easier to keep.

What I Learned

Responsible Learning

This project focused on the Core Competency of Responsible Learning. The main focus in this project was ourselves. Taking responsibility for my habits and actions has been a key part of this journey. Using my planner each day reminds me that I am the one who controls my time, my goals, and my success. By managing my schedule and keeping my goals visible, I’m able to take purposeful action, both for myself and in the ways I support others. I believe, now that this project has come to an end, I can confidently say. “I take purposeful action to support others and the environment, advocate for my rights, and take responsibility for my choices, actions, and achievements. I use my strengths to contribute to my communities.”

Building Consistent Habits

One lesson from Atomic Habits that really stuck with me is that habits don’t need to be huge—they just need to be consistent. I started using the “2-Minute Rule” by setting aside a few minutes each day to update my planner and reflect on what’s coming up. This small habit of checking in regularly keeps me organized and helps me adapt to changes as they happen.

Balancing Purpose and Flexibility

The surfboard eraser is more than a fun touch; it’s a reminder to stay flexible. Life doesn’t always go as planned, and learning to adapt has been important in staying positive and focused. The big idea of this project was about finding balance, and having my planner helps me adjust as needed without losing sight of my overall goals.

POP art

Along with the learning intention was a piece of art that represented the statement. Each masterpiece has symbols, to visually show our intentions for this year and beyond.

sun=positivity,  plant with water=growth,  mountains/hike=keep going,  the view is worth it,   wave=go with the flow/flexibility,  tightrope= balance

🤔 Questioning Competency:

Asking questions: In this project I asked questions when one came to mind, and I took control of my learning. We had so much room to let our creativity shine in, and endless opportunities on how our end product would turn out. 

Researching information: I read the book atomic habits, and openly thought about the context in it. I used the information to help come up with a useful, yet creative artifact and along with that came some research. We had a few quizzes in this project on the book, and I found myself using my resources to ensure I would do my best job. 

Sharing my ideas: I think this was one of my stronger aspects in this project. I shared my ideas with my teachers and peers. I offered help when they asked, and I found I also shared specific, kind, and helpful feedback.

Presenting My VMV and Artifact

The final step of the project was presenting my vision, mission, and values, along with the artifact at our PrePOL (Presentations of Learning) event with my parents. This was a chance to share my goals for the year and explain how my planner and the habits I’m building will help me achieve them. Presenting to my parents made me reflect on how much I’d learned and gave me a chance to show the commitment I’ve made to responsible learning and self-improvement.

Looking Ahead

This project wasn’t just about creating a planner; it was about setting myself up for success by developing the right habits. By staying organized, managing my time, and remembering to go with the flow, I feel more prepared to achieve my goals this year and beyond. As James Clear emphasized, small changes in my habits have the power to shape my future. With this planner, I’m ready to take responsibility for my choices, actions, and achievements, and build a balanced life that aligns with my purpose.

Thanks for reading, until next time!