Simple and Effective Ways to Build Good Habits
Habits are an undeniable part of every person’s life and greatly influence the direction of our lives. In fact, the state and quality of our lives are reflections of our daily habits.YogurtOur habits can impact our progress or lack of progress in life. BreakingBad Habitsand replacing them with good habits is by no means an easy task, but with the strategies we have provided in this section ofSelMagzwe can create good habits in ourselves.
Stick to it for a full month
Typically, three to four weeks is all you need to internally build a habit. Once you can get past the initial conditioning phase, maintaining it becomes much easier.
Have a daily plan
Consistency is very important for habit formation, so if you want to start exercising, make sure to go to the gym every day for the first 30 days. Doing it a few times a week makes forming the habit much harder. Activities that you do every few days become much more challenging to turn into habits.
Use a method
Right before you perform your habit, use a method or formula. If you want to wake up earlier, this could mean waking up in exactly the same way every morning. If you want to quit smoking, you can press your fingers together every time you feel the urge to grab a cigarette.
Substitute
If you want to give up certain habits, make sure you find a substitution that adequately replaces what you are losing. For example, if watching TV was a way for you to relax, you couldMeditationor reading as a way to fulfill that need.
Set a small and specific goal
Before creating a new habit, define a small and specific goal. For instance, for the habit of ‘more discipline’, plan to ‘wash and dry the clothes every Sunday morning’ and be steadfast in achieving it.
Take it easy on yourself
Instead of discouraging yourself and saying you can’t create a good habit, think of ways to remove the barriers that could speed up forming new habits. For example, if you want to have a healthy diet, think about the rational and psychological barriers that might be stopping you.Good HabitBe patient
Don’t expect all your efforts to change your habits to be immediately successful. Put in your best effort before starting a regular exercise routine, but don’t think there won’t be any obstacles along the way.
Fight temptation
Reconstruct your environment to create a safe space for building positive habits to minimize temptation during the first 30 days. For instance, eliminate unhealthy foods from your home; for
quitting smokingthrow them away so you don’t have to battle your willpower later.
Find a role model
Another way to create good habits is to model yourself after people who already have those habits. A recent study showed that having an overweight friend increases the likelihood that you’ll also become overweight; you become what you spend a lot of time with.
Try it as an experiment
Avoid judging yourself and view it as an experiment. There’s no failure in experiments, just different results, giving you a new perspective on changing habits.
Visualize
Another effective technique for breaking a bad habit is to imagine that you have given it up. Next, visualize yourself letting go of the bad habit and successfully implementing a substitute. Finally, end it with a positive image of yourself. Do this several times until you automatically perform the substitute before reverting to the old habit.
Write it down
Take a piece of paper and clearly write down what you want. Writing opens your mind to focus better on the final outcome.
Recognize the benefits
Familiarize yourself with the benefits of making a change. Get books that highlight the advantages of positive habits like exercising or notice and imagine the changes in energy levels after adopting a new diet; consider how much better you feel after improving your habits.
Be aware of the consequences
You need to be aware of the consequences of breaking or forming a habit. Being exposed to realistic information about the negatives of not making changes will give you more motivation.
Find an accountable partner
An accountable partner can help you in many ways and can be a psychological asset. For example, if you want to form good habits, try to team up with friends; if you want to build an exercise habit, find a friend who wants to go to the gym and develop a joint training plan to boost your motivation.
Use external and internal reminders
For external reminders, you can use wall stickers, create a to-do list, and set daily phone alarms, etc. In addition to reminders for desired behaviors, internal reminders are also important; for instance, you may need to remind yourself not to throw your unwashed clothes on the floor.
Use mental reminders to break patterns
To eliminate negative thoughts, use mental reminders. For example, instead of saying, “I hate going to the gym,” repeat in your mind, “but I love the energy I have after a workout.”
Take time for yourself
A small mistake won’t ruin all your previous efforts, so if you slip up one day,Do not stressforming and progressing towards a new habit takes time.
Do it for yourself
Don’t worry about things you “should” be doing as habits but aren’t; instead, use your habits as tools towards your goals and what motivates you.
