5 Top Tips For Sticking To New Habits
To me, Autumn has always felt like a better time than January to bring in fresh, healthier habits after the (albeit lovely) casual eating, drinking and laid back sociability of summer.
Speaking of new habits, deciding what you want to do is the easy bit - the tough part is sticking to them! Read on to discover my tips on how to stick to positive habits that ANYONE (yes I'm looking at you!) can use.
Build A Firm Foundation
Foundation habits are a great place to start. I’m much more likely to stick to a new habit if my foundation habits are solid. They keep me from feeling too frazzled and give me the energy and self control to stick to my new habits more easily. My foundation habits are: getting good quality sleep, moving around every day (ideally outside), eating well and having external order (I just cannot function in an untidy space!). They can also reinforce each other - external order makes me feel calm, which helps me sleep better!
Commit to Thirty Days
Three to four weeks will help engrain a new habit. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. You’ll notice I’m saying easier - not automatic! Which brings me to….
No Exceptions
We can all justify exceptions to our good habits, but alas, everything counts. It’s the weekend. It’s my birthday. I’m on holiday. You know the kind of thing. No justifications allowed. Nothing stays in Vegas.
Don’t Let A Minor Stumble Become A Major Fall
In other words, the ‘What the hell’ syndrome. “I missed my livestream yoga class this morning, so what the hell, I’ll just leave it till next week.” Er no, check into the library for an online class and do that instead. Try to fail small, not big.
I’m So Good At My New Habit I Can Break It Now
“Wow - I haven’t eaten sugar for a whole month, now I can start eating cake every day.” Unfortunately, even long-standing habits can be more fragile than they appear, so don’t get complacent.
What catches you out when you’re trying to stick to a habit?