How to make a habit stick

My work often leads me to learn simple yet proven techniques to help improve my sense of well-being.  Things like good nutrition, regular exercise, meditation, journaling to name but a few.  All valuable practices to adopt, but even with this knowledge (and the best of intentions) I still find I can struggle to change my behaviour in certain areas.  Which is frustrating because I know what I need to do, so why can’t I just go ahead and do it already or at least do it with some consistency? 

Laurie Santos, a professor at Yale University describes this as the G.I Joe fallacy: “the mistaken idea that ‘knowing’ is enough to change behaviour”.  In actuality, to change our behaviour, we have to change our habits.  Which is easier said than done really, isn’t it?  

But all is not lost… 

At the moment I’m undertaking a course on well-being (run by Laurie), part of which involves actively trying to incorporate a specific wellness activity into my life, giving me the best chance to build it into a productive habit. 

I’ve definitely benefited from the tips & techniques I’ve acquired as part of this and I want to share them with you now.  So if you’re ready to convert a good intention into an established good habit, read on!

How to make a habit stick

#01 Plan to succeed

Firstly, start by turning the activity you’d like to become a habit into a goal.  Be sure to make your goal specific and measurable.  Doing this increases your focus and helps you visualise completing your goal more easily.

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Why visualise? Being able to visualise yourself achieving your goal helps to prepare your mind & body to take the required steps in real life. It teaches your brain to recognise what resources you’ll need.  Plus, being able to visualise yourself succeeding helps grow confidence and self-belief.  

To help you whilst creating and planning out your goal, take some time to answer the following questions:

• What is the habit you want to build?  
• Why are you building this habit?  
• What will the benefits be?  
• How will you go about it?  
• How many times will you commit to building the habit each week?  
• What time of day?  
• Which days?  
• What equipment do you need?  
• What support will you require?  

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Also (if relevant), spend a few minutes reflecting on the answers to these additional questions…

• Have you tried to build this habit before?  
• What worked well for you when trying to adopt this habit before – can you replicate those factors again?
• What circumstances led to the habit not sticking?  
• How will you mitigate these circumstances this time around?  

Properly planning & reflecting at the very beginning will enable you to progress more successfully.

Good to Know:  It’s important to be committed but not over-committed. For example, if you want to build an exercise habit of a 30-minute daily run from a current position of zero exercise, you’re far more likely to quit than if you try to commit to 30-minutes 3-times a week.  It’s better to be realistic and build-up than over reach and fall-flat.  

If/Then Plans: Hitting roadblocks is common when trying to implement new habits.  Taking time to identify what these could be for you is a good idea.  Once you understand your potential roadblocks creating If/Then plans around them will help you effectively overcome them. Complete the following for each obstacle you feel you might face: If [obstacle/situation] then I will [positive behaviour].  For example, If the urge to watch TV is feeling greater than my urge to meditate then I will move to a room without a TV until after I have meditated. If/Then plans establish a link in your brain helping to guide your behaviour in a more positive way.  

#02 Create a good environment

Your environment will influence you heavily when it comes to making a habit stick.  Proximity, visibility & convenience are big factors in either helping or hindering you.  Be sure to fix unhelpful environments by trying to remove any negative temptations or potential obstacles.  Put your phone away, place the biscuit tin out of view, avoid contact with influences who seek to disrupt you from your goal.  

Instead, work out ways to create a healthier environment more conducive to building better habits.  Have helpful tools easily within reach.  Have your exercise clothes laid out ready to go. Create & use a vision board.  Design your environment to promote your success.  

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Top tip:  Something I’ve personally found helpful is having a progress tracking sheet up on the wall in my office.  I make a mark on it every time I carry out my wellness activity.  I use the one provided to me via my course, but you can easily create one of your own.  They’re a great way to visually recognise your progress.  

#03 Socially commit

I’ve spoken about this before in my post on accountability partners specifically, how sharing your intention with another person increases your chance of success.  Sharing not only gives you greater accountability, but it can also give you access to greater support from a wider community.  

Consider signing up to events, joining groups or taking part in challenges that are socially visible.  I recently committed on Instagram to complete a month of challenges designed to help me become a bit bolder. Publicly committing in this way was the main reason I saw the challenge through. If it had just been me who knew about it, I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have kept it up.

Sometimes we need an outside influence to help motivate and cheer us on.  It can really make all the difference when we’re trying to establish a habit.  

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#04 Give yourself time

It was always reported that it took around 21-days to build a habit.  I believe this has largely been disproven now.  However, what can be said is that the longer you can do something for, the more likely a habit will form. My current habit-building exercise is spanning over 4-weeks. The exact length of time is largely dependent on how much of a challenge the habit you’re trying to implement is.  

Source: Burkeman 2009

To see a personal change you really do need to put the work in. You need to find the time required to rewire yourself to effectively establish your new habit.  Good things take time – be patient with yourself.

Remember, mishaps are common, changing behaviour is hard and it’s OK to mess up every now and then. When you need to, revisit your original goal, remind yourself why you started.  Create an If/Then plan for any new blocks you’ve identified and view each attempt as a fresh start.  Celebrate every win no matter how small you feel it is because after all, progress is progress.   And before you realise it, chances are you’ll have built a habit that sticks.  

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What has been your experience so far with building new habits? Have you worked out how to make a habit stick already? Have you tried any of the ways I’ve suggested before? Do you have any other top tips to share with us? Whatever you’d like to say – or ask! – simply get in touch by leaving a comment in the box below.

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