3 ways to make those "new year" habits stick
If you're like me and many Americans, you made some new years resolutions. In my case, I try to think of them as new habits I'm going to integrate into my life. Over the years, I've failed at making new year habits stick like many of you. (Less than 20% of people make it 6 weeks with their new year's resolutions.) Assuming you've already identified the "right" habit that aligns to your values and priorities, here are some strategies you can consider to improve your odds of success:
1) Doing things earlier in the day. A friend and I were talking a week or so ago and the subject of willpower came up as we discussed working out. I talked about willpower as something that was a limited resource. She disagreed. I did some quick research and it seems like right now there are some mixed results. That being said, I find it easier to do things that require "willpower" in the morning. I'm usually a bit more motivated and less distracted by things that may come up later in the day. Especially in the case of working out, I find that a run in the morning helps me be more focused and in a better frame of mind for the rest of the day.
Doing something before distractions occur is also wise. For example, many people recommend that you attack key items on your to-do list before you check your email or you'll distracted by it.
2) Anchor to an existing habit or break it down into smaller more manageable habits to build. I'm a bit of a environmentalist, not surprising since I was raised by an environmental engineer who worked for the EPA for 20+ years. Each year, I try to adopt a habit that reduces my impact on the world. For example, one year I decided to start hanging one load of laundry a week. The next year I hung all my dark clothes. Now, I pretty much hang all laundry except towels and sheets. As you can tell, this habit grew on itself.
Another example would be if you want to start listening to a podcast today. Think about things you already do everyday. Would one of them be something you could do while listening to a podcast? Before listening to a podcast? For example, maybe you could start listening to a podcast every morning as you brush your teeth.
3) Let go of your expectations for how you "should" do something and do it in a way that works for you. Every year I try to improve my eating habits. A couple weeks ago I committed to eating more salads. Now, I've done this before. I go to the grocery store and I buy all the ingredients to make salads that I like and then I watch them go bad in my fridge. When I have 10 minutes to grab lunch between meetings, I just don't feel like rinsing and chopping vegetables. (I realize that this sounds dumb.) I hate that I end up throwing away vegetables because I didn't eat them. So, then I stop buying them.
So now, I've realized that I can just buy those salad kits at the grocery store They come with everything I need including the crunchy toppings I love. It takes me no time to empty into a bowl and I can be munching away in less than 3 minutes. I also try to exchange one of my sides for a salad when I'm eating out. I am meeting my goal of eating more salads. I may not be doing in the way others do. But, I'm doing it. Do what works for you. Don't let others', or even your own, expectations set you up for failure.
I'll close with one other thought. You need to have the space in your life to build a new habit. If you're trying to do too many things, you may end up failing at all of them. Instead pick one habit and focus on it for 90 days. Then work on the next one once that one has stuck. Breakdown your year into 90-day segments and pick 1-2 things to work on in each one.
What strategies have helped you build new habits?
