2023 is in full swing and it’s time to hold yourself accountable for those habits you have been wanting to implement into your routine!
Starting a new habit without a strong foundation to sustain it is where a lot of people go wrong. If you take the right steps to creating a habit, you will have the power to stick to that habit and make it an unconscious part of your routine.
Creating habits and sticking to them is how some people become most successful. Some of the people we consider most successful execute habits such as daily workouts, early wake up times, and lots of sleep into their routines. Typically, they’re more motivated once their positive habits are checked off their to-do list for the day.
The first step in creating new habits is considering why you want to accomplish that daily task to begin with. What kind of habits do you currently have that you might want to break? How can you take a daily practice and replace it with a habit that will boost your lifestyle?
Rather than judging the habits that make up your current routine, observe why you do them. Do they fulfill a purpose in your life? Is there a healthier alternative that you can try instead?
Being mindful about your current patterns and deciding what is serving you and what is not is a great place to start. If you make a list of things you do consistently in your life, you will likely notice things that you wish to stray away from doing, as well as things you wish you did more frequently. Creating a transparent mindset will allow you to understand the subconscious reasons behind your actions. Then, you’ll be able to quit the norms that are not adding to your life in a positive way, and replace them with healthier habits.
One habit implementing tactic is the Cue-Routine-Reward System. The basis of this cycle is that once you remind your brain to do something, it will trigger the physical, emotional, or mental routine component. After completing the routine, or new habit, you should be rewarded to condition your brain into continuously striving for this prize.
Here’s an example of the Cue-Routine-Reward psychology:
- Que: Getting out of bed
- Routine: Immediately making your bed
- Reward: Enjoy your morning coffee once your task is complete
One of the keys to habit building is consistency.
A lot of the time, starting a new habit is most difficult because we forget we are attempting to implement it. Having reminders set in your phone or a note taped to your mirror is one of the easiest ways to prompt an action.
Another essential part of sticking to a habit is not biting off more than you can chew.
The best way to accomplish each of your goal habits is to create a keystone habit that you eventually build off of. If you have this simple foundational habit that becomes consistent in your life, you are more likely to carry out other habits that you’ve been striving toward. Eventually, these habits will all become solidified and you will look forward to practicing them daily.
If you take these steps, you will surely form positive habits in no time.
Consider starting here:
- Take a moment to consider the current habits in your life;
- Decide to break negative habits that are not adding to your well being;
- Choose one foundational habit to start with;
- Try the Cue-Routine-Reward system to find what works for you;
- Once you have made a habit, add another and see how successful it is;
- Remind yourself that you’re only human and one day without fulfilling a habit doesn’t take away from your success!
Let us know what habits you currently have, habits you want to break, or habits you want to implement this month!
