Habits are repeated behaviours that we perform unconsciously. You will have a number of habits that you don’t even notice as they have become so intrinsic to your everyday life. The good news is, with repetition, you can create new, more positive habits. Habits that bring you joy, fulfil ambitions and move you closer towards your goals.
Often however, it’s not as easy as just ‘creating new habits’. When you make these sorts of shifts, they can be hard to stick to. So here are three ways that will help you to maintain habits you want to keep.
- Ensure you are choosing habits that are right for you
When we create habits based on external factors – such as impressing others or feeling pressured into something, they can be much harder to stick to than habits we have chosen for internal reasons.
For example, going to the gym to lose weight because of societal views of body image or because of self-comparison to people on Instagram comes from a negative external driving factor. Try to view your goals objectively. Are there negative emotions driving this goal and what is a positive way of reframing it?
- Tie your new habits to current ones
You will already have habits you perform each and every day. Brushing your teeth, getting dressed, your journey to work. These will, on average, be done without thought. By tying a new habit that you want to create, to a habit you already have, it becomes much easier to stick to. Take exercise for example, if you want to start doing 10 squats per day, why not try doing them every time you brush your teeth. The more you repeat this, the more it will become a subconscious habit that you perform every, single day.
- Get a habit tracking journal!
Our brand-new journal, Habit Notes, contains everything you need to break down your goals, choose your habits, plan out your hopes and dreams and start creating habits that truly stick. With exercises and tools to make sure you are picking positive habits to daily and weekly habit trackers, this little book is all you need to start creating the life you deserve and achieving your goals.