Building Habits That Stick
Have you ever wondered why some people seem to get so much done?
When they say, ”I’m going to…(fill in the blank)”, you just KNOW that they’re going to make it happen.
But when you try to go after similar goals, it’s a different story?
Have you ever signed up for a new gym membership and started exercising, only to give up after a month because life got busy?
Or started meal prepping to be healthier, but stopped after a couple of weeks because it was just too much hassle?
Perhaps you’ve begun a new hobby, project, or business venture and started out consistently, but then lost your stride?
Yup, been there! As humans, we often fall back into old habits, seeking solace in our comfort zones instead of taking action that will produce the results we want. The most frustrating part?
We all know what we NEED to do, we just can’t seem to make those all-important changes stick!
Does this sound familiar?
Building new healthy habits can be tough, especially when we’re conditioned to expect and receive instant gratification, and our default behaviour is often as unhealthy as it is easy.
TV shows are just a few clicks away, we have information and entertainment at the tips of our fingers, and we have fast food, microwavable meals, and multiple food delivery options available on tap.
We expect results instantly, so when we don’t get them quickly enough, we feel disheartened. We also rely far too much on willpower and motivation to get us through, and we tend to be overly optimistic (and unrealistic) by setting ourselves multiple goals at once – leading to overwhelm and ultimately, failure.
But creating and sustaining good habits doesn’t have to be so difficult and painful!
Want to build healthy habits that STICK?
1.) Figure Out Your Why
Sometimes, we rush into setting a goal or the targets for it without really identifying or understanding our emotional connection with it. Figure out your WHY.
Why do you really want to lose weight?
Why do you want to implement a morning routine?
Why do you really think a career change will make you happier?
Home in on what's important to you and pay attention to your emotions; what are you feeling when asking yourself these questions?
Hit on the values and emotions that drive why you want to achieve a goal and it will kickstart you into action.
2.) Start Ridiculously Small
Most people want to create BIG change as quickly as possible. They want to go from zero to five gym sessions every week, switch to a healthy diet overnight, and meditate for 20 minutes every day, even though they've barely managed 5 minutes in the past!
The key is to just get started by making ONE small change. To start SO ridiculously small that it hardly requires any willpower at all. This then helps create momentum and motivation for bigger changes.
Instead of going to the gym five times a week, start with once a week.
Instead of doing fifty stomach crunches a day, start with five.
Instead of cutting all soft drinks, start with switching one for a glass of water.
Instead of writing a page for your book every day, start with a paragraph.
Remember, motivation is about the feeling, while momentum is about action; when you feel motivation start to wane, ask yourself, "what is one small action I can work on right now?" Once you start with that one small action, you can pick up momentum again and start to progress.
3.) Utilise Habit Stacking & Scheduling
Research has shown that you'll be much more likely to follow through with a new habit if you've decided beforehand exactly when and where the behaviour is going to take place.
To help with this, link an already existing habit/behaviour you do every day (or week) and use that as a trigger for spending time on your new habit.
For example, ‘‘After dinner every Monday evening, I will go for a 20-minute brisk walk.’’
Then schedule it in, just like you would for an important business meeting.
After all, what gets scheduled, gets done!
4.) Celebrate Your Wins
I’m a HUGE advocate for celebrating your wins, no matter how small.
It's so important to acknowledge your progress, accomplishments, shifts and gains and to CELEBRATE how far you've come!
Each time you reward yourself for making progress, no matter how small, you activate the reward circuitry in your brain.
That releases key chemicals which make you experience feelings of achievement and pride. These emotions, in turn, empower you to take action and create bigger successes in the future. Win Win!
5.) Make YOUR LIFE Easy!
Whenever I’ve made changes or introduced new, healthy habits, they’ve had to be super easy and enjoyable for them to stick.
When you start a new habit, make it so easy that you can’t say no!
I don’t mind the gym and enjoy myself when I’m there, but it’s the hassle of getting there that always puts me off. So, I do home workouts instead, or go for walks in nature, which I find easy because I enjoy it. I also enjoy swimming, and combine a few laps in the pool with relaxing in the sunshine, reading my book and writing content in between.
I also like to prepare my breakfast, lunches, and snacks for the (working) week ahead every Sunday evening, while listening to music or a podcast (so it doesn’t feel like a chore). I really enjoy this ritual, plus it means that by prepping food in advance, it saves SO much time during my week, and ensures I stick to healthy food choices.
When the rewards are worth it, it makes it so much easier to stick to!