5 Secrets To Making Habits Stick
Here is my list of the 5 most important things to follow when creating a new habit. Implementing these secrets cannot guarantee that any habit will stick but they will increase your chances at succeeding in making your new habit stick as quickly as possible. These can also be used in reverse to break bad habits to make more time for yourself this upcoming year.
How long does it take to form a habit?
First off we need to establish how long it can take to form a new habit. This is important to note because habits are created over time and the results can vary vastly depending on your method of creating a new habit. In July 2009 the European Journal of Social Psychology conducted a study on 96 volunteers to see how long it took to create a new habit. They found that it takes 18 to 254 days to solidify a habit into your routine. This is based on the complexity of the activity and how well they implemented these 5 secrets I am about to share with you. To try to create a habit as quickly as possible follow these 5 secret tips to make habits fast and easy.
Consistency
The most important thing for creating a new habit is to be consistent. Consistency means every day at the minimum. Staying consistent every day over a long period of time is the best way to tell your brain that you want to create a habit. You may think that 100% is the goal. While 100% is technically the goal you will still find great success as long as when you miss a day it does not turn into 2 missed days. It was shown in the study that missing just 1 day at a time did not have much effect how long it took to create a new habit. Additionally if you cannot do something every day then it will be much harder to form a habit. Take working out for example, this is one of the most popular habits for someone to want to create. The big issue here is that most people base their workout schedule on a couple days a week and push themselves on those days to make it harder for them to workout the following day. If you cannot do it every day then it makes forming a habit incredibly more difficult. I recommend simplifying the task into smaller parts that can be spread out on a daily basis so that you can get the mental repetitions in more often. Thus leading to a quicker and easier time to form your habit.
Purpose
What is your purpose for creating this new habit? Purpose is the driving factor to doing everything. Without a reason to create a new habit it will be very difficult to create a good one and even more difficult to break a bad habit. Why do you brush your teeth, take a shower, or get dressed? Usually we tell ourselves it is a necessity, but that is typically not a very good reason. Your purpose is usually connected through your emotions, whether good or bad. You might brush your teeth because you do not like the feeling of getting a cavity filled or because you like the smoothness of your teeth after they are brushed. You might shower because you dislike being smelly or you might enjoy the feeling of removing all the dirt from the day. These are examples of both a negative and a positive emotions associated with habits you already have. It is important to dig deep and figure out why you want to make a change in order to create the motivation to make it happen. Creating a deep emotional connection will reduce the friction most experience when starting your new habit.
Mindset
After figuring out your purpose you will need to make sure you are mentally ready. When performing your new habit it is likely your mind will find things about it that you do not enjoy. It is important that you do not let these weigh you down on your way to creating a new habit. You might find it easier to discover one thing you do enjoy and remember that every day. Simply finding one part of the new habit you enjoy can make a world of a difference. By finding a small part that you enjoy and focusing on that you will be much more likely to keep going. Think of your habit like a picture frame and your mindset is the picture. You would much rather look at Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” than a poorly drawn stick figure on a white piece of paper, right. Create your own starry night so that your habit becomes enjoyable to do each day.
Your Surrounding Actions
What you do before and after can also effect a new habit. If you have to do something unpleasant before you start each day then you will always start with a sour taste in your mouth. That will deter you from getting started. On the other hand if you do something you do not like afterwards then you will not want to complete what you are doing because you do not like what comes after. Even if you enjoy your new habit the surrounding actions can crush your motivation to stick with it every day. If you find yourself in this scenario then try to add something you like to do right before and after your new action so that you are in a good mood when you start and finish. It is often nice to celebrate your completion after as well with some quick words of affirmation or a short dance if that is your style. Creating a positive environment surrounding your new habit will greatly increase your chances of success.
Reflect on Your Performance
Reviewing how well you are doing at your new habit to look for improvements will also help you create the habit you have always wanted. If you look at the best professional athletes they all review their footage to see what they can improve upon and focus on it during their next practice. This allows you to figure out ways to make your habit more fun or reduce the time you have to spend doing something you do not like. You may also want to review if you want to keep this habit or if there is a better one you would like to create instead. If your original habit does not align with your purpose anymore or you see that it will not bring the results you were expecting then this is your chance to realign your purpose and habit. Reflecting will make sure that the habit you want is the one that is sticking.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed, check out my blog on personal development and habits at habbits.net.
