Creating Sustainable Habits & Banishing Bad Ones
A habit can be defined as ‘a settled or regular tendency or practice’. Unsurprisingly, most of our habits are good practices which, as humans, we are wired to subconsciously develop. Our brains instinctively cultivate these habits so that we do not have to make the same mundane decisions, day in and day out. For example, brushing our teeth in the morning is (hopefully) a habit which has been hard-wired into our daily activity from a very young age. Conveniently, this means that we don’t need to put time and effort into the decision-making process every single day when it comes to certain activities.
However, some other positive habits such as daily exercise, drinking enough water, or focusing on mental and emotional health can be harder to establish in our everyday routines and sometimes require a bit more effort and intention. It can be even trickier when you’re trying to eradicate bad habits and introduce good ones in their place. After all, old habits die hard!
As discussed last week, there is a delicate science which comes with being able to set and achieve our goals. Creating sustainable and tailored habits to aid us in completing our goals is an essential ingredient. When it comes to creating strong habits, the possibilities are endless; they have the power to completely transform the way that you live, work and feel. I’m sure you can think of many things that you have planned to get into the habit of doing but just haven’t yet. Maybe all you need is a little push, so here it is! We have collated a trio of top tips to help you to create those new, healthy habits for 2021 and beyond.
#1: Bite-sized chunks are the way forward
People often jump into habit building by setting loads of goals and trying to achieve them all at once; unsurprisingly, this is a recipe for failure. Unlike computers and robots, we cannot be programmed in a matter of minutes. It takes time to learn and establish habits in order to reach our goals. By prioritising one habit at a time, you’ll be able to focus your energy and get it established more quickly and strongly. Each habit you form is part of the bigger picture; Rome wasn’t built in a day!
#2: Edit your environment
Altering your environment to suit your habit aspirations can be a complete game-changer, don’t underestimate it! By nature, habits are often set off by certain cues, or triggers, in our surroundings. For instance, you may have a specific hook to hang your keys on when you enter your house. The action of hanging your keys would most likely be triggered by you seeing the hook as you walk in. Removing the hook causes the system to fall apart and you would be less likely to place your keys in the exact same place each time. In this case, the hook is your environmental trigger for the habitual behaviour.
When using your environment to banish bad habits, the same system applies; remove the trigger, remove the action. If you want to stop smoking, avoid hanging around others who are smoking. If you want to eat more healthily, leave the crisps and chocolate out of your weekly shop. Editing your environment is a great first step to help you on your way to overcoming those sometimes deep-rooted impulses.
#3: Mindset is key
Remember that consistency trumps perfection every single time. An ‘all-or-nothing’ mindset could be the thing holding you back from forming strong, long-standing habits. Remember to be kind to yourself because you’re only human and make sure to reward yourself consistently by celebrating the smaller milestones. By focusing on the journey as well as the result you are placing yourself in good stead to reach your goals. Do your best to stay positive throughout, because negative self-talk can cause chaos when it comes to creating new habits. We all have that tough inner critic but learning how to control it is the most effective way to move forward. For example, ‘I don’t know how to do this’ can be spun positively by thinking ‘I have an opportunity to learn something new here’. Never underestimate the power of the positive!
Whilst we know that these tips alone won’t magically transport you to where you want to be, they definitely lay an excellent ground for you to build upon. You can do it!