Better Practice Blog- 7 Steps To Stick To Your Habit
7 Steps To Stick To Your Habit
It’s the new year! Which means most of you have resolutions to create some sort of good habit this year (the most common of which are regularly going to the gym or eating right). However, most of you (80%, in fact!) are also going to drop these goals by February.
Why are new habits so hard to stay committed to? Here, we’ll explore the most common things that derail you from creating habits and how you can train yourself to stick to them.
Use this worksheet to create your habit plan using the article below as a guide. Plus,
First, you’ll need to eliminate your roadblocks. What stops or deters people from staying consistent with new habits? Some of the smallest things may affect this more than you may think. So, start by reducing these deterrents:
1. Reduce steps to start
The fewer the steps to start, the more likely you are to just do it. This means focusing more on prep, so that when the moment comes to actually do it (whether it’s going to the gym or eating a healthy meal), you’re able to do it immediately. Think about the current number of steps you have and how you can reduce it. Here’s an example using going to the gym after work:
Drive homeChange clothesGrab water and towel(Put everything in your car the night before)- Drive to gym
2. Reduce competition
It’s hard to switch immediately from one task to another, especially when you’re in the middle of something. It’s easy to be playing a video game, realize it’s time to go to the gym, and say, “I’ll go right after this game”. Until you do this 3 times in a row and eventually think, “I’ll just go tomorrow. I deserve a rest day.” Identify the competition to you doing the habit, then identify how to eliminate it! Set an alarm to stop everything you’re doing 10 minutes before you’re supposed to go, so you have time to quickly finish your task, recalibrate, and prep to head out.
3. Reduce thinking
Thinking takes a lot of work and is something you won’t want to do in the moment (especially if you’re kinda procrastinating on that habit…). Using the gym example again, it’s hard to feel motivated to go when you haven’t yet thought out: “Was it leg day? Arm day? What workouts do I have to do today? How long should I run for today?” Instead, have a thorough plan already created beforehand so that all you have to do, really, is go! Plus, it’s easier to hold yourself accountable when you know what you’ll be missing if you don’t follow through.
Next, you’ll need to “train” yourself so that even subconsciously, you’ll be motivated to stick to your habits.
4. Have a trigger
Have a physical signal to start the habit - for example, a phone alarm with a song that gets you pumped up (Rocky Theme, anyone?). And don’t press snooze on that! It’ll be way too easy to, and that in itself will become a habit all too quickly. If you consistently pair this trigger with following through, it’ll eventually become a trigger for you to just get up and go do it.
5. Make it addicting
Humans are wired to get addicted to things that feel good - and although in many cases, this is a bad thing, we can use it to our advantage! Give yourself a dopamine shot in the middle or afterward to reward your behavior. Eat your favorite food after (and a lot of it - you need it after a tough workout!), always take a nice bath after, etc.
6. The 30-Day Rule.
The science says that we need to do an action over and over again until we can do it without thinking. This means the first month will be the hardest, because this requires consistency. Be tough on yourself the first month, and it’ll pay off. The more you keep it up, the easier it will be to keep up in the future - until eventually, it becomes a part of your daily routine and you don’t even bat an eye!
Lastly, it’s going to be easier to drop out when you’re the only person holding yourself accountable. So:
7. Have friends/family hold you accountable.
If no one knows you quit your New Year’s Resolution, did you even have it in the first place…? No one wants to be known as a quitter. Make your friends and/or family hold you accountable for your goals. Thinking about quitting in February? The more people know, the more people there are to tell “I gave up already” (the shame!), and the harder it’ll be to quit. People will check on you if you specifically mentioned your goal, or, you can log it somewhere online and have others hold you accountable as well.
Keep these 7 steps in mind, and you'll be one of the few that keep their New Year's Resolutions going through the year! Read the continuation on how you can use these tips to create great practice habits.