“Atomic Habits” for hairstylists.

I recently read a popular book on productivity and implementing habits as a system, called Atomic Habits, by author and blogger James Clear. This book is meant to be a practical guide on creating good habits and breaking bad ones using a framework called the Four Laws of Behavior Change (make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying), in order to shift your habits and improve by 1% every day. The core message of the book is to create small, manageable changes in your daily life in order to make a huge difference long term. Atomic Habits also featured themes on making changes that you identify with and aligning with the kind of person you want to be.

Do you have any habits or systems in place that help you be more productive? As a hairstylist, there is already so much to balance. Not only do we have to constantly perform and improve our craft but we also need to manage client relationships, product knowledge, inventory, scheduling, business operations, and taxes. And that's not even half of it. I'm sure I'm not alone in my constant search for tools to help relieve some of the responsibilities and job requirements of being a full-time stylist. I've seen countless videos that claim to have the optimal morning routine (they usually suggest things like 6am cold showers and not having coffee before 9am.) or the apps and websites designed to automate everything from your calendar to your budgets.

The goal of this blog is to inform you on my main takeaways from resources like Atomic Habits, through the perspective of a hairstylist. After reading this book, I really had my gears turning on not only how I could implement some of these habits into my daily life, but also how I can utilize some of these habits to improve my business. The many responsibilities we encounter day to day can be overwhelming, and I find it very powerful to be in the mindset of making small daily improvements that are geared towards your success in the industry. In an industry like hair, where consistency is key, one quote from Clear really stuck out to me; “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems'.

I have selected the chapters in this book that I think relate most to running my business and how their lessons can be implemented to create systems for successful hair stylists. There are countless actionable strategies in the book to use in your day-to-day life but here I'm highlighting the ones I found most helpful or that I could implement immediately to start making that 1% shift.

Imitating the Close

In this chapter, Clear discusses how we pick up habits from those around us, whether we realize it or not, so you should surround yourself with like-minded individuals or professionals in order to develop habits that are relative to your goals. In a salon setting culture is key. The peers you surround yourself with have an effect on the work you do that is beyond your own control. We often assume even the body posture of another person we are talking to. Clear states, “One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where the desired behavior is the normal behavior.” It's important to put yourself in a place where you are inspired and motivated to do great work by your peers. Even in the salon, look for a place to work with other hair artists who impress you. If moving isn’t an option, at least apprentice/shadow under the artists who you aspire to be like. Try to have your work station next to the stylists who will push you or answer your questions, and vice versa.

Not only does our physical space influence us, but in today’s world, we may be even more influenced by our digital culture. Be sure to follow the artists that promote a great work ethic, positive business practices, client relationships and do great hair. There is an abundance of our peers online who do amazing work and want to share what they know. Understanding how easily you can be influenced by the people around you and the media you consume is an opportunity to be more intentional about the influences in your life. If you are wanting to move into a mindset that is more aligned with your goals, it can start by surrounding yourself with people already in that mindset.

How to Stick with Good Habits Every Day (Habit stacking)

In this chapter, Clear discusses tracking your habits in order for them to stick and how to recover quickly if your habit breaks down. If you're like me then there are a million little tasks in your day that you know you want to keep up on but they tend to be tedious and are forgotten during a busy day of clients. For example, when I offered color services, I would always forget to check the previous appointments to see when was the last time they came in and what the service was. I really enjoy being prepared, and knowing that allowed me to have a better consultation and gameplan on what the next service will be. When I forgot, I would feel rushed and it would sometimes be harder to switch gears if I needed to adjust something in the service or to be consistent on the client’s hair maintenance schedule.

Clear’s advice is that by making your habits more attractive, it creates cues that help automate healthy habits, and removes the burden of the habit feeling like a hassle. It makes the habit more naturally gratifying as it is part of the process instead of a means to a result. Clear explains how someone can start doing this using a formula. “After I [Current Habit], I will [Track my habit].

Clear uses his formula as a method to track how often a habit is performed in order to automate it. But I find if we bend the formula slightly it gives us an easy way to mentally note an opportunity to bundle tasks as a hairstylist. The prompt is ‘After I [finish a task], I will [do corresponding habit]. Before you walk away from a task you have to do, make sure to also complete the habit you associate with it that you’re wanting to build. In my previous example, if I want to remember to review clients' previous appointments, I will attach that habit to something I already have to do. “After I reset my workstation, I will review the next client's previous appointment”. This way, I will eventually be in the habit of checking the appointment automatically.

Here are some other examples of habit bundling for hairstylists. If you want to remember to write down client formulas, attach it to the most immediate task. “After I mix my client's formula, I will write it down in my notes before I go back to the chair”. If you want to get clients on a healthy maintenance schedule, “After I check out a client, I will let them know when I'd like them to rebook for”. It may seem obvious but giving yourself an intentional, physical cue will really help the habit stick, and with time it becomes automatic.

Walk Slowly, but Never Backwards

I think this habit goes hand-in-hand with the previous habit. In this chapter Clear talks about an approach to performing habits he calls “being in motion” and “taking action”. Habits in motion mean you may be learning and planning, but they do not produce a result. Habits in action will produce an outcome and give you experience towards your goals. The sooner you can jump into action the sooner you can make a habit form. Instead of just waiting for the right moment, you want to be in action with the habits you want to implement as much as you can. Clear calls this “getting your reps in”.

Not only does this pertain to automating a habit but also to mastering habits. The chapter covers a topic called long-term potentiation. I’ll save you the full-on neuroscience lesson, but it basically involves strengthening the signals of your brain to do something using a pattern and repetition. The amount of time you spend in a certain field, doing the same habits repeatedly physically changes parts of your brain. These patterns can lead to a process known as automaticity, which is the ability to do something without thinking of every step. Not only do these patterns involve automating those good habits we discussed, but also to expose you to a new experience in general and make it easier for the next time. Let's say you really want to try out a new haircut. Change that motion of having that want into action. Post a picture of it on your Instagram story and do a model call. The goal is to do the haircut and practice something new or as Clear would say, “getting a rep in”, but even just that first step benefits you. You also put a rep in both putting yourself out there and showing clients your voice. Time won't define how much you improve in something, the rate in which you perform said behavior does.

The Truth about Talent (Playing the Game that is in Your Favor)

This chapter discusses how much human genetics influences your habits and natural talents (or how much they don’t), and picking the correct field of competition in regards to your natural skills, abilities, and ambitions. I moved to Los Angeles with the intent to specialize in a larger market. I actually somewhat enjoyed doing color and was pretty good at it (I can never completely quit, and there are still a couple color clients on my books), but it is not my passion. When it comes to what I feel most naturally suited to in hair, I've come to discover that I am great at cutting and styling. I have a well-defined aesthetic and I find immense joy in styling hair, but it took a long time for me to really discover what I had a passion for, and it took a lot of reflection and honesty. Doing color services led to a lot of self doubt and burn out, and I eventually knew that it is because it’s not what inspires me.

Clear says “ The key [to success] is to direct your effort towards areas that both excite you and match your natural skills, to align your ambition with your ability”. Do you ever leave an appointment feeling like you had a bad experience, or on the other hand, do you ever have a client leave and you're beaming with pride at the work you just did? Have you ever had clients possibly complain about something you've done, or have you ever had a client come in and show you a photo of your previous work as inspiration? These are all considered “areas of opportunity” that can help you embrace your own unique abilities. Clients will seek you out for what you do best, so it is important to find what you identify with and enjoy doing, as well as, what you have a knack for doing. As a hairstylist you have the unique ability to tailor your clientele and the work you do and design what your day looks like. Reflecting on your current habits and capabilities and defining the ones that you enjoy and come easy to you make your job more exciting.

Clear provides a few questions to ask yourself to help you identify your areas of opportunity.

What feels like fun to me, but work to others? The work that is enjoyable to you may be a weakness to others and therefore something you were made to do.

What makes you lose track of time? If you find something puts you in a flow state (when you are so focused that everything else fades away), then it is likely something you find a lot of satisfaction in doing.

What comes naturally to me? Without worrying about others expectations, judgment, or previous experiences, define what makes you authentically feel engaged and enjoyment.

The Downside of Creating Good Habits (Habit mastery vs. Automation)

Clear states that although improving on your habits can make you more efficient, there is a downside in which your performance may suffer if you stop paying attention to little errors. He explains how to avoid this by reviewing your habits to measure improvement. Once you make a habit automatic, you should still be in a mindset to learn and grow. Automating low-effort habits (habits that relate to tasks such as client booking and proper consultations) allows you to clear distractions and focus on your craft and what you’re providing the client.

Clear puts this principle into a formula; “Habits + deliberate practice = Mastery”. He then discusses a plan used by the Lakers called the Career Best Effort (CBE) program. In the CBE program, an athlete’s statistics are tracked to create a baseline. In order to avoid a decline in performance, the athletes are asked to improve their output by at least 1% over an entire season. Once it was implemented It greatly improved their performance and they went on to be the first team in 25 years to win two back-to-back NBA championships. It highlights the importance of intentionally reflecting and reviewing to avoid getting stuck in a rut, or declining in your work. As doing hair is somewhat of a performance with many aspects to reflect on, I saw the power in imposing some sort of CBE Program on myself. Once a client leaves, take some time to make notes about what you did that you liked, as well as make notes on what you would do differently to improve. This way at the client’s next appointment you can go back to your notes on the clients and apply it to deliberately improve on your craft. This creates more intention behind the work you are doing and clients will always want to hear on how you actively are trying to give them a better service.

In the shop I work in, we live by the philosophy that every single appointment should be better than the last. Tracking your performance over time will allow you to reflect on areas of improvement and also pat yourself on the back for how you have grown. This might also show you what you tend to be better at if you are struggling to figure out what sort of hair stylist you’d like to be. Perhaps you noticed where the client needed more dimension and will adjust your foil placement for the next appointment, or maybe you really enjoyed the way you cut those bangs and want to remember how you did it.

These are just a few of the valuable lessons I took away from reading this book, and have already started using in my own business. Allow yourself to become accustomed to new routines as these things take time and experience, and to avoid feeling overwhelmed as these small 1% shifts are what make a lasting difference. If you'd like to read Atomic Habits for yourself or would like to read James Clear’s articles you can find it all at jamesclear.com

Do you have any habits you think make you a great hairstylist? Does your hairstylist do anything that adds value to your client experience? Please feel free to send me some of your own atomic habits. I would love to hear from you.