Simple Hacks to Help You Build New Habits
You Can Build New Habits, Here's How
Starting a new journey is never easy. There are a million hoops to jump through before you actually feel successful. Creating new habits isn’t easy, either. Here are six simple hacks that will make it a little easier. Use them until you’ve internalized the new habit and don’t need them anymore.
Schedule It And Put It On The To-Do List
Sometimes we forget to do that new thing we were trying. Maybe we forget that we’re supposed to be having eggs for breakfast instead of a stack of waffles, or that we need to get that daily walk in.
Schedule your new habits or make them part of your daily to-do list until they become something you do automatically. The first few days are always simple easy, because you just started and you're excited to do it, and you're excited to eventually see results. It's when those results don't come overnight that our energy tends to wane.
Make It Public and Be Accountable
Let family and friends know what new habits you’re trying to establish. They will call you out if you don’t stick to your plan and get you back on track.
You may even go as far as sharing it publicly on Facebook or write a blog about your new journey, like me (if you do this, leave a comment so I can read it!). Knowing that others read it and know about it might be just enough to keep you going when you feel like throwing in the towel. When I was struggling with finding time for blogging, I posted about it on Facebook and received countless messages telling me what I say matter to them, and they like when I post. It was SO heartwarming a few days ago when a friend of mine told me a post of mine helped encourage her to drink more water. So make it public, you never know when something you say or strive for will help someone around you.
Piggyback On A Habit You Already Have
Whenever possible, add the new habit to one you already have. For example, if you always start dinner at 4pm, and you want to get in the habit of taking a daily walk, make the new ritual to go for your walk and then come back and start dinner. Hooking your new habit onto already established habits will make you much more likely to remember.
It’s much easier to amend an existing habit or ritual than creating an entirely new one. My favorite task to add things to is my cup of coffee in the morning. When I get to enjoy my coffee all alone in sweet silence, I put together my to do list, and enjoy the benefits of single-tasking and being crazy productive.
Find An Accountability Partner to Achieve Success
Find someone with the same or similar goal. I call these accountability partners. Find a friend who is eager to make progress in their own life, and succeed together. Not only will you work harder because you want to improve, but you'll be reminded by them each day (or maybe you'll remind them!). My friend Becca is my go to accountability partner. We have joined yoga challenges, learned to eat better together, and done Pilates challenges together. Did I mention she lives a thousand miles away from me? Accountability partners don't have to be your neighbor (although that's fun too!), they just have to have your phone number. Keep tabs on each other and encourage each other to keep going. It’s much harder to skip a walk or work out if you know someone else is depending on you being there.
Make It A Group Challenge
If one accountability partner is good, a whole group is even better. And they don’t even need to be local. Find a supportive group online and challenge each other to stick to your new habit for the next 30 days or so. Not wanting to be the first one to give up will keep all of you going until you establish that new habit.
Give these simple little hacks a try. Keep using the ones that you find helpful until you have made new habits you can stick with without the help of any tools or support. I made you a printable to use to help you work through these steps one by one so you can build your new habits quickly and easily. Find it below:
