Our daily habits make up the course of our lives, after all we do them regularly and they determine whether we achieve our goals or not. Have you looked at your daily routine lately? Is there anything you have been meaning to work into your routine that you just haven’t gotten around to yet? Maybe you are struggling to get started or your new habit motivation wears off after a few weeks in.. Have you thought about the process behind making that habit happen instead of just doing it without thinking it through?
The five steps below may help you make turn these actions into habits.
Start off by making a list of what you truly want to incorporate into your daily life, number that list, and start at number one. Try this 5-step guide, and see how much of a difference it makes! What’s the worst that could happen?
1. Stack Your Habits
The best way form a new and consistent habit is to tie it to an existing habit. What is your daily routine? Look at these patterns and think about when the best time to work your new habit into your day is. For example, do you chill out on the couch and turn the TV on after work every day? Maybe instead of going straight home you can stop at the gym or Endgame Boxing and fitness, your’e already out of the house anyway! Or if you prefer you can do a home circuit while watching tv to start and once you’re more comfortable switch your home workout to a gym workout!
2. Start Small
Think about your current habits. How did they earn a place in your daily routine? Intentional or not, most likely these habits started small and as you grew more interested or involved, they began to take priority in your life. Take the same approach with an intentional habit such as becoming more active. Start by committing to workout 2-3 times a week for 30 minutes each or to attend 1-2 workout classes per week and before you know it you may want to increase the amount of times you get active! If you want your habits to last long term or if you want long lasting results from these new habits, it’s always a good idea to start slowly/ small and work your way up.
3. Do It Every Day
It is common knowledge that habits can take time to create, but stick easier when practiced more often! The trick is to start with something easy or small like committing to ten jumping jacks a day, rather than something that is totally out of your norm like going to the gym every morning at 5 AM. Ever heard the phrase that it takes 21 days to form a habit? This statistic is on the right track, but not necessarily the end-all-be-all of habit forming rules. A group of researchers published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology that found participants who took anywhere from 18 to 254 days to successfully form a new habit. If you’re truly interested in building a new habit, you’ve got to be in it for the long-haul! Do something active at the same time or after the same older habit every single day and it will stick easier! This way takes extra discipline and may be harder in the beginning but in the long run it may be worth it. An example to use this on top of the previous point would be to go to the gym or workout class 2-3 times a week and go for a walk at the same time on the other days of the week.
4. Make It Easy
It is human nature to avoid obstacles and do what is easiest. Keep this in mind when forming a new habit. What are some of the obstacles that you can clear out of your way while trying to become more active? Pack your gym bag the night before, prep and portion out your weekly meals ahead of time, write down your schedule in a planner so you can see when you can make time to move your body. Make it as easy as possible for you to stick to your plans. The easier it is to find an excuse to skip a workout the harder it will be to go and get it done, especially in the beginning of forming this habit.
5. Reward Yourself
A reward after a job well done is ALWAYS satisfying no matter if it’s a plaque at work for making the top numbers that quarter, or something more immediate like the good feeling you get after cleaning up the house or enjoying a fresh set of sheets on your bed! For example, stop looking at exercising as work, boring, or straining and time consuming and start thinking about how you can reward yourself while exercising. You can reward yourself by catching up on that TV show, listening to that podcast, or calling a friend during your workout. It no longer becomes tedious, but a time that you can set aside for yourself to do the things you may otherwise feel guilty about using your time for.
About the author
Our mission is to help small to medium sized business grow by increasing their revenue and brand awareness online. We do this by understanding your business needs and finding solutions that will not just look pretty but be of great value to your business.
My background
I grew up in the midwest, a little town called St. Cloud, MN. The love for computers and design came to me very early in life. At the age of 10 years old, I started using a software called “Blender 3D”, making my first exposure to the world of design in 3D space. After mastering 3D design and modeling, the most complex form of design out there, I moved on to being a web designer and logo designer. The time I invested in mastering Logo design also sparked my interest in many different styles of marketing, leading to my first ever job as a graphic designer for a locally owned sign shop while also juggling high school work. I attended Bemidji State University, a small Minnesota State school, where I studied advertising and marketing. From there I went out and got hired for an advertising agency in my home town. I quickly learned that I did not want to work for a company, but rather wanted to build something on my own. This was something I should have realized much sooner since I had a very entrepreneurial spirit from the get-go, selling freshly baked cookies door-to-door at 8-years old. A few years after working for the advertising agency, I decided to take the plunge and start off on my own and I am glad I did. Five years later, here we are and I am thriving in business as the owner of Creative JC!