A shorter installment today: 5 Quick Hacks to get your fabulous new habits to stick. These are based on the research of BJ Fogg and Marisa Peer amongst others.
1) Decide precisely WHEN to do your new habit.
By this I mean, in the course of your day, when do you intend to do this habit and stick with it?
Let's take flossing. Maybe you aren't a regular flosser and you're thinking of turning it into your new habit, even though you don't really like doing it so much. One of the best things you can do is determine exactly when you're going to floss. Chances are that you're already brushing your teeth every day (hopefully twice!), so it's probably your best bet to floss before or after you brush in either the morning or evening. You decide to floss in the evening, right before you brush you teeth.
It sounds like a small thing, but having a determined time or order can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful habit.
2) Do something you're actually motivated to do!
Motivation is a big part of habit building because it's the primary driver. If you're choosing a new habit that you're not motivated to do for one reason or another, stop and pick a different habit to build.
Let's say you hate to exercise but you're choosing exercise as your habit, then you probably won't be terribly motivated unless you want to improve your health or lose weight. If you can get your motivation up then you might find success, but if you desperately hate to exercise then don't push it as your habit. Maybe consider finding ways to move more throughout your day, instead (parking at the back of a parking lot, taking the stairs, etc.).
3) Make sure that the habit is something you're actually able to do.
Think about the new habit you want to build. Is it actually feasible for you?
Let's say you want to do 50 pushups a day but you've never done more than 10 in your life, you might not be able to physically do 50. So, start with 10 and work your way up.
If you pick a habit that you aren't able to do, you're just not going to have success with it.
4) Understand that motivation goes up and down.
You may not be motivated to stick with your new habit indefinitely. And that's ok! There will be days when you do it and days when you don't. In this case, you might want to consider having an accountability partner who will gently keep you on track, especially on those days when you really aren't feeling up to doing your new habit. Oftentimes that little push or prod can make all the difference in the world.
5) Celebrate! (SERIOUSLY!!)
Find ways to be happy about your new habit. This all has to do with programming the reward centers of your brain with dopamine. I keep going back to exercise, because it's something so many people struggle with. Let's say you intend to get on the elliptical at the gym 4 days a week for 40 minutes per session. That's great!
Before you climb onto the machine, take a quick second and congratulate yourself. After all, you got into your workout clothes, strapped on yoru sneakers, and got your ass to the gym. That's pretty good. It would've been all too easy to lay on the sofa and watch TV. But you did it. You got there. You're going to do this thing. GET EXCITED!
As your session progresses, the machine tells you that you're 30% done, 40% done, 50% done ... mini-celebrate each of the times that you see it. Jam out to some really great music!
Then -- and this is important -- celebrate IMMEDIATELY after you're done working out. Don't wait until you're back in the locker room. Seriously, fist pump the air and say (silently!) "I feel great! I did it!" The key here is that you only have so much time to program the behavior and the reward center, so make sure you do it immediately afterwards.
That's it! May your habit building be strong and if you have any questions, comments, concerns or anything else, leave a comment below!
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