Buzz
Developing good habits can be quite challenging, but the rewards are certainly worth the effort. Having multiple positive habits can significantly improve your overall health or help you achieve greater goals. Some steps you can take to form new habits include identifying your motivation, setting cues, and tracking your progress. If you have bad habits, remember that you might need to first break them before replacing them with better habits.
Steps
Planning
Set Goals. Before you start building new habits, it's important to consider your goals. Take time to thoroughly understand what you hope to achieve. Formulate your goals according to the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound to increase your chances of success. Think about the goal you want to achieve as specifically as possible. Here are a few questions that might help guide you.
- Specific means the goal should be clear, not broad or vague. What exactly do you want to achieve, and why?
- Measurable means the goal should be quantifiable (in numbers). What figures will relate to your goal? How can you use these numbers to track your progress?
- Action-oriented means turning the goal into something you actively pursue and control. What specific actions do you need to take to achieve the goal? How frequently do you need to perform them?
- Realistic means making the goal something you can actually achieve with the available resources. Is your goal something you have the ability and resources to achieve? Why or why not?
- Time-bound means the goal has a clear start and end point or a deadline to keep you on track. When will you begin working on your goal? What is the deadline for completing it? What happens if you succeed? What happens if you don't?
Identify the habit you want to build. Adopting a positive habit that aligns with your goals can greatly improve your chances of achieving them. After setting specific and detailed goals, identify a habit that can be part of accomplishing that goal. Reflect on and ask yourself which beneficial habit could help you reach your target?
- For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks, you might need to start a daily walking routine at 7 p.m.
Consider your motivation. Once you've identified your specific goal and the new habit you need to build to achieve it, take some time to reflect on your motivation. Motivation is the reason behind wanting to form this new habit. A strong motivation can make or break your success in developing the habit, so give it thoughtful consideration.
- Ask yourself: What potential benefits could forming this new habit bring? How might this habit improve my life?
- Write down your motivations so you can refer to them whenever you need encouragement.
Start with small steps. Even if the habit you want to build is a big task, begin by making small changes to increase your chances of success. If the change is too drastic, it will be harder to adjust.
- For instance, if you want to stop consuming deep-fried foods high in fat and sugar, it might be difficult to quit them all at once. Instead, you might find it easier to gradually eliminate them one by one.
Give yourself time. Building a new habit takes time. Many people can develop new habits in just a few weeks, while others may need months. When trying to develop a new habit, remember that it will take time before it becomes automatic. Be patient with yourself during this process.
Anticipate obstacles. While forming a new habit, you will likely face several obstacles. Being aware of this will help you overcome challenges and keep pushing forward. Also, remember that failing at times doesn’t mean you're failing overall.
- For example, if one day you don’t feel like going for a walk as planned, don’t get discouraged. Just acknowledge that it was a bad day and that you can always walk tomorrow.
Achieving Success
Set Cues. Creating cues can remind you to perform your new habit each day. You should turn something already part of your daily routine into a cue, such as taking a shower in the morning or making coffee. For example, if you want to build a flossing habit after brushing your teeth, make brushing your teeth the cue to floss. The more consistently you floss right after brushing, the more automatic this behavior will become.
- If you can’t think of a cue that fits with the new habit you want to form, consider setting an alarm on your phone to remind you when it’s time to take action.
Change Your Environment. You can increase your chances of success by making changes to your environment. Think about how you could alter your surroundings to make it easier to form a new habit. What environmental changes will help you develop good habits every day?
- For example, if you want to build the habit of going to the gym every morning before work, you could lay out your gym clothes the night before and place your gym bag by the door.
Be More Mindful. One reason some people struggle to form better habits is because they often let themselves operate on “autopilot” and don’t think about the actions they are taking. By becoming more mindful of your behavior, you will find it easier to develop good habits. Ask yourself if any unconscious behaviors are hindering you from adopting a positive habit.
- For instance, if you want to create the habit of going to the gym every morning, think about what might be getting in your way. What does your usual morning routine look like? How do you spend your free time when you’re not going to the gym? Why do you choose to spend it that way? How does this process make you feel?
- The next time you catch yourself operating on autopilot and falling back into a bad habit, ask yourself questions about your behavior and feelings to break free from this unconscious cycle.
Share with Others. You can increase your accountability in forming a new habit by sharing your goal with others. Consider asking a friend to help keep you on track with your new habit. Perhaps one of your friends is also trying to build a better habit for themselves, and you can repay them by helping them too.
- Make sure that the friend you ask has a way to hold you accountable to your goal. For example, you could give them some money and ask them not to return it until you've completed your habit several times.
Track Your Progress. Monitoring your progress while building a new habit helps keep you motivated and allows you to strategize when things don't go as planned. Use a journal or an app on your phone to track how often you practice your good habit. You can even share your progress on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Announcing your progress publicly will help you maintain the motivation to continue your journey of building better habits.
Reward Yourself for Staying on Track with Good Habits. Keeping yourself motivated to maintain your new habit can be achieved by rewarding yourself. Choose a reward to give yourself each time you meet a milestone. Simple rewards, like treating yourself to a new outfit after losing 10 pounds, can make a huge difference in your drive to stay focused on your goal.
- Make sure the reward is healthy and within your budget. Remember to reward yourself immediately after completing the goal.
Overcoming Bad Habits
Increase Awareness. Breaking a bad habit can be challenging because it becomes deeply ingrained and automatic. To overcome a bad habit, the first step is to become more conscious of it. You can increase your awareness by recording each time you engage in the behavior.
- For example, if your bad habit is snacking before meals, mark it down every time you notice yourself doing it. Try doing this for a week to observe how frequently you fall into this habit.
- Awareness means 'observing' the action and the pattern formed by the bad habit, not blaming yourself. Research shows that you are more likely to repeat the behavior or follow the old habit if you beat yourself up. Bad patterns and habits fade when you become aware of them.
Take Preventive Steps to Stop Bad Habits. Once you become more aware of your habits, it's time to put preventive measures in place. Distract yourself to prevent engaging in your bad habit. Be sure to record when you feel the urge to indulge in the bad habit and when you successfully resist.
- For instance, if you crave snacks between meals, you could drink a glass of water or take a walk.
Reward Yourself for Successfully Resisting a Bad Habit. Rewarding yourself when you successfully resist the urge to engage in a bad habit is essential. Rewards provide extra motivation to continue avoiding unhealthy behaviors. Ensure that your reward does not encourage the bad habit but rather directs you toward doing something more enjoyable.
- For example, if you’ve managed to resist snacking between meals for a week, treat yourself to a book or a relaxing hair treatment at the salon.
Advice
- Be patient. Changing behavior requires a great deal of time and effort.
Warning
- If you are struggling with alcohol or tobacco, you should seek help from a professional to replace these bad habits with healthier alternatives. Talk to a doctor or a mental health expert for assistance.
