What You Build First in a New Place Matters Most
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
The biggest challenge of spending time in a new country is rebuilding the systems that make you feel like yourself again.
We've now arrived in Hanoi! One of the first things we did was rearrange the furniture in our apartment so we could recreate the routines that matter to us.
I've always been a person of routines.
Meal times. Deep work. Sessions. Exercise.
They all have a rhythm because these systems support the way I think, work and organise my family and professional life.
Long before we arrived in Hanoi, I was already thinking about everyday questions;
Where would I find high-protein products instead of the ones I normally buy at home?
How can I experience the local food and movement culture while staying true to the habits that serve me?
Now I realise these questions were helping me design a system that would support the way I wanted to live and work while staying open to learning from a completely different culture.
So, how do we recreate the systems that help us thrive when everything around us changes?
The answer lies in protecting our identity. Moving to a new environment allowed me to experience something I had long known from behavioural science.
✓ Healthy habits become sustainable when they're attached to identity rather than place.
✓ When our habits express who we are instead of where we are, change becomes less disruptive and more joyful, intentional, and growth oriented.
Problem: We think the challenge of a transition is getting there.
The real challenge starts when our daily choices begin shaping our future performance.
Solution: The systems we build after a change shape how successfully we live, work and grow within it.
My years in architecture taught me that a building becomes functional when people learn how to live well inside it.
A Resource Worth Exploring
If you're interested in the science behind why routines matter more than motivation, Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood is one of the strongest evidence-based books on habit formation.
Her work shows how our environment and repeated behaviours shape lasting habits, making intentional system design far more powerful than relying on willpower alone.
3 Principles Worth Following
💎 Protect your identity while allowing your routines to adapt.
💎 Ask, "How can I express the same identity in this new environment?"
💎 Let the new environment teach you something your old one couldn't.
Last summer, I experienced Asia. This year, I'd like to observe it.
People move differently. Eat differently. Socialize differently.
Many everyday habits seem to support health without becoming "health projects."
As a coach, I keep asking:
What can we learn from cultures that have embedded healthy behaviours into everyday life?
Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing observations through the lenses of coaching, behavioural science, and everyday life.
Perhaps they can help us build healthier careers by first designing healthier human systems. I'm looking forward to sharing what I discover, one observation at a time!
Warmly, Dilek
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