Creating new habits isn’t easy. In fact, without a plan, it is downright hard! Here are six simple hacks that will make it a little easier. Use them until you’ve internalized the new habit and don’t need them anymore.
Schedule It And Put It On The To-Do List
Sometimes, we forget to do that new thing we were trying. Maybe we forget that we’re supposed to be having eggs for breakfast instead of a stack of waffles, or that we need to get that daily walk in, that we are supposed to take 15 minutes in the morning to prepare for our day.
Schedule your new habits or make them part of your daily to-do list until they become something you do automatically. The night before, take 10 minutes to right out your routine and include the new habit you wish to start.
Make It Public and Be Accountable
Let family and friends know what new habits you’re trying to establish. They will call you out if you don’t stick to your plan and get you back on track.
You may even go as far as sharing it publicly on Facebook or write a blog about your new journey. Knowing that others read it and know about it might be just enough to keep you going when you feel like throwing in the towel. It creates accountability, which gives you more ambition.
Piggyback On A Habit You Already Have
Whenever possible, add the new habit to one you already have. For example, if you fix a cup of tea or coffee at 4pm, and you want to get in the habit of taking a daily walk, make the new ritual to go for your walk and then come back and enjoy your tea. Do you normally just brush your teeth and head to bed? Then bring a pen and notepad with you to create your list for tomorrow.
It’s much easier to amend an existing habit or ritual than creating an entirely new one.
Make Slip-ups Costly
Here’s a fun idea. Put a jar on the kitchen counter and each time you slip back into your bad habit or forget to stick to the new one, you have to put five dollars in the jar. It will quickly help you remember to skip that sugary food and motivate you to go out for that walk. For extra motivation, donate the money to charity at the end of the month or hand it over to your spouse to go spend on him or herself. Chances are, you will learn quickly to stick to your goals!
Find A Partner and Help Each Other Along
Find someone with the same or similar goal. This could be a workout partner or a diet buddy. It could be another mom who is trying to achieve peace. Keep tabs on each other and encourage each other to keep going. It’s much harder to skip a walk if you know someone else is depending on you being there.
Make It A Group Challenge
If one accountability partner is good, a whole group is even better. And they don’t even need to be local. Find a supportive group online and challenge each other to stick to your new habit for the next 30 days or so. Not wanting to be the first one to give up will keep all of you going until you establish that new habit. Competition is a mighty tool!
Give these simple little hacks a try. Keep using the ones that you find helpful until you have made new habits you can stick with without the help of any tools or support. Once you have created one new habit, try for a second! Always work toward improvement each day.