🌟 How to create habits that stick

Hey, Flawsome human.

Last week I touched on daily habits you can incorporate to boost your mood. But habits only become habits, if you do them consistently.

It’s not always easy to introduce new habits, and it does take time for us to to adopt them.

So, how can we increase the probability of actually sticking to them?

I want to pull some inspiration from the popular book Atomic Habits written by James Clear.

I think everyone should read (or listen to) this book, at least once.

You can find it here (US)

Or here (Canada)

Let’s help you get closer to achieving your goals, with some simple steps.

1️⃣ Start Small, Think Big: Don’t try to change your entire routine overnight. Make small, manageable, incremental changes that you can build on (and actually stick to).

👉 Example: Say you want to start working out. Don’t tell yourself you’re going to be in the gym lifting heavy for an hour 5 days a week. Maybe start with 2 light workouts a week. Then perhaps a month or two later you increase it to 3 days a week.

2️⃣ The Four Laws of Behaviour Change: James speaks about four laws that form the foundation of habit formation:

• Cue: Make your desired habit obvious. For example, place your running shoes by the door to cue yourself to exercise.

• Craving: Create a positive association with the habit. Connect it to a reward or a feeling of accomplishment to spark motivation.

• Response: Make the habit easy to perform. Reduce friction by breaking it down into smaller steps.

• Reward: Reinforce the habit with a satisfying reward. This helps to solidify the habit loop and encourages repetition.

3️⃣ Habit Stacking and Implementation Intentions: two things you can do to make new habits stick.

• Habit Stacking: Build new habits onto existing ones. For instance, after brushing your teeth, meditate for five minutes.
  

• Implementation Intentions: Plan when and where you will perform your habit. Specificity increases the likelihood of follow-through.

4️⃣ Track Your Progress: Monitoring your habits is crucial for maintaining consistency. Use a habit tracker or journal to record your daily actions and celebrate your successes!

5️⃣ Environment Design and Social Support: these two things can influence your ability to maintain habits, whether we realize it or not.

• Environment Design: Optimize your surroundings to support your habits. For example, keep healthy snacks readily available and remove distractions.
  

• Social Support: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who encourage and inspire your habits. Their support can help you stay motivated when things get hard.

6️⃣ Embrace Flexibility and Adjustments: Habit formation is a dynamic process. Be open to adjusting your habits as your circumstances and goals evolve.

Remember, it's the small, consistent actions that add up to significant changes over time.

Start today with one small habit and watch as it transforms into a powerful force in your life.

You got this. 😊

Stay Flawsome,

Erica