We Say ‘Good Habits’ for a Reason, People!
Habits (Image credit: vecteezy.com)
Everyone says it: the good habit of good habits is a big key to personal growth and success. Steps, healthy eating, work productivity… they can all be made to stick if you just stick at it.
But how? Here’s five effective techniques for creating lasting habits.
Start small. 🐛 Instead of kidding yourself you can overhaul your routine overnight, focus on making micro-changes, such as a 2-minute desk tidy a day, or a lunch in nature. Channel the expertise of Olympic cycling coach Dave Brailsford - the man who revolutionised the British team’s performance with his consistent micro-adjustments.
Glue a ‘future habit’ to a ‘now habit’. 🍡 As SJ Scott explains in his book ‘Habit Stacking’, if you need to make something ‘sticky’, leverage your existing routines. Want to learn Spanish? Stick that week’s vocabulary on Post-Its next to where you brush your teeth and you’ve got a 5-minute habit in the making. Que bueno!
Track your progress. 📝A habit-tracking app (or keeping a simple table of progress updated) will help you to stay engaged, accountable and motivated. Measuring your progress is both immediate and a powerful reminder of how far you've come. Elite performers are happy to quantify - it’s the analysis of the changes that will keep you goal-focused.
Be More Cat. 🐈⬛ Entice yourself to better behaviour not with negative reinforcement but with positive reinforcement. Cat experts know it’s pointless to scold their feline friends - they’d rather move them to better behaviour with reminders and rewards. Can’t seem to keep up the To Do List? See if a really nice pen and notebook make it more pleasurable.
Celebrate your wins! 🏆 It’s not childish: it’s ‘page one’ psychology to honour your efforts when you’ve finished something or done your best. Give yourself a pat on the back, a treat, a few quid into your self-care fund or a congratulatory Post-It note above your desk. Your inner four-year old probably helped so salute them with a couple of cool stickers. 😃
What new good habit do you want to develop, and how can you apply the above habit-forming techniques to make it stick? Let us know below…