What do you stand for?

The little stand prompts on Apple Watch have had a mixed reception. And yes, when they pop up and you’re in the cinema or on a plane, it can feel pretty dumb.

However, we are creatures of habit. And many of us aspire to improve ourselves, often realising that if we can change small parts of our lives then those incremental improvements add up.

The ‘Stand’ prompts on my Watch are a nice enough reminder from a fitness perspective. But where I’ve really found them useful is as a prompt for other good behaviour and improvements I want to be conscious of.

When it goes off, I’ll take off my glasses and try to step away/ look away from the screen I’m inevitably wrapped up in. If I’m at home, I’ll go and try to do something useful around the house (free brownie points with the wife.)

The hardest thing about making new habits stick is the reminder to keep at it. With consistency, you can integrate almost any little behaviour into your routine.

Think of the Stand prompts not just as a little fitness widget but a route to this for whatever you are trying to include more of in your life.