You may not realize that the little things you do daily improve your life. The little things add up and eventually become big things. Whether they are intentional habits like flossing your teeth, ensuring that you drink enough water or other habits you implement like writing. However, it might seem like developing and sticking to bad habits are more accessible than building healthy ones, but this isn’t the case. There is an easy way to stick to good habits, and that’s by using a method called habit stacking.
Clinical Psychologist Bonnie Carpenter says, “Take a behavior you do daily and attach a new desired behavior to it. Your brain builds new neurons to support the behaviors we practice daily. The more you practice a habit, the stronger the connections can become.”
How Long Does It Take to Change a Habit?
If you want to change a habit, you must be realistic and remember that it won’t change overnight. There will be times when you think that you won’t be able to change. Carpenter says creating a new habit could take up to six weeks. Three steps must be taken for habit formation:
A reward for yourself to program your brain into remembering that what you’re doing is a good thing and worth repeating. You might
consider grabbing a tea once you’ve completed a walk.
A cue that will trigger your mind, such as putting sneakers by the front door so you remember and are motivated to go for a walk.
A routine is vital for habits to be formed, as then this will become automatic. The cues you plan to put in place for you to remain motivated could be done the night before.
How Are Habits Formed?
Carpenter says, “A habit is a behaviour or group of automatic behaviors. They’re done with a minimum of conscious awareness and eventually become part of our neural pathways.” Once you’ve consciously built a new habit, your brain will know exactly what’s happening and when.
It can take habits at different times to form; it is different for everyone. Executive coach and consultant Laurie Zorn said, “Changing behaviors isn’t simple, and there is a bias that it is.”
Regarding forming a new habit, Bonnie Carpenter says, “Becoming familiar with your habits and understanding the ones you would lke to change – and the reason for these changes – will help you choose positive directions.”
Here are six areas of your life that you should improve with healthier and manageable habits.
Good Self-Care Habits
It’s essential to take care of your body and mind, and it’s one of the best habits to form. It can give you the inner strength to make positive changes. “There must be motivation and understanding of cues, work at changing and understanding the routines, and having a reward,” says Carpenter. You could practice self-care by writing a gratitude journal, reading inspirational books, or meditating.
Establish a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
Sleep is vital for self-care, and having a bedtime routine that works for you and winding down before hitting the hay is a habit that will soon become your favorite part of the day.
Schedule Mini-Breaks Throughout the Day
When you become motivated and feel productive, it might be challenging to remember to schedule mini-breaks. However, you will become more productive if you allow yourself to have a short break. During these breaks, you could practice self-care by moisturizing, wearing a face mask, or doing yoga. Even making a cup of tea will rest your mind and optimize your productivity levels.
Learn How to Say No
We all go through life pleasing, thinking we’re doing the right thing, even if it means we draw the short straw. This is one of the most problematic habits to break, but it’s vital for yourself. Drawing the line and not agreeing to help everyone with everything could give you more time. Your time is just as valuable as everyone else’s, so don’t worry that you will disappoint anyone.
Good Time-Management Habits
We only have 24 hours in a day, and 8 of these should be used for sleeping, leaving us only 16 hours. If you think about the time we spend working and running around after everyone else, we don’t get much time for ourselves. Laurie Zorn said, “I work with many clients trying to improve their time-management skills. What trips people up varies, but the underlying motivation or competing commitments often prevent people from being more effective with their time.”
Hang a “Do Not Disturb” Sign
We don’t mean figuratively here, but literally. If you can make yourself a “do not disturb” sign to hang on your door, it could do you good. It will help you stay focused without distractions that stop you from managing your time effectively. You can also set a program on your phone, which means you won’t be distracted by notifications or people texting you all the time and feeling the need to put what you’re doing on hold for them.
Do One Thing at a Time
We all get into the habit of thinking that we can take on more than one task at a time. Realistically, this can overwhelm us and lead us to do nothing. Zorn says, “Multitasking is not good for our habits. Doing more than one thing at once doesn’t create new neural pathways because it creates confusion.” Instead of jumping from one task to another, stick to one task for as long as you can. This block of time will give you the energy to be productive instead of trying to spend time on 20 different tasks.
Work With the Timing of Your Day
We all have an angel and a devil on our shoulders. The angel knows that we have things to do and wants us to be as productive as possible, while the devil wants us to slack off and thinks we could spend our time better. The important thing is that if you wake up and have an urgent to-do list, don’t ignore it. When your brain is at its most focused, you could be getting on with the things that need doing, and will lead to accomplishment.
Good Organizational Habits
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Clean home, clean mind.” If you want to be happier at home, then spending time decluttering and finishing any projects you left unattended will make you feel better.
Create a Place for Everything
If you have a home for everything in your house, then this will make everything look more organized. Shoes go in the organizer, and toys return to the storage cabinet when unused. Doing these little things daily will make tidying up your home more satisfactory, and you will spend less time on it. If you have piles of items everywhere and need homes for them, it will make it easier for you to organize and declutter.
Put Away Items Immediately
Do you like to create piles of things to put away later? This could be a habit to change. If you would like a cleaner and more organized home, prioritizing putting things away immediately will give you satisfaction. Unpack your suitcase as soon as you get home, put your washing away when it comes off the line, and put things away after you use them.
Good Professional Habits
We all have bad habits at home, but bringing them into the office can give you a bad name. Missed deadlines and turning up late won’t go unnoticed, and it’s essential to try and maintain a professional reputation.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Thinking outside the box can go a long way and save you from working harder. You might notice that you’re emailing many people the same thing and doing it one by one. Instead, write the email up as a template, adjust it accordingly, and send it out.
Break Down Your Tasks Into Small Steps
When faced with big tasks, we become overwhelmed, and that’s when we procrastinate. Taking the time to look at the considerable tasks and narrow them down into smaller steps can save you a lot of time and make you feel less overwhelmed. “The more you can break down tasks into small steps, the easier they will be to implement, and the stickier that habit will become,” Zorn said. She also recommended beginning by figuring out what you can do to finish a project in 20-minute intervals. “If that small step doesn’t work, the bigger one won’t. See what works and what doesn’t, and then you can adjust.”
Good Sleep Habits
Sleep is vital for many reasons. It gives our brains the chance to rest from a day’s work, and sleep enables it to restore any information it was given. If you’re too tired, then it could have a knock-on effect on everything during your day.
Don’t Go to Bed Unless You Are Sleepy
If you go to bed before you’re tired, this is counterproductive. It’s not ideal for you to go to bed and stare at the ceiling for hours, and it will stop you from building good habits. If you don’t get to sleep within 20 minutes, it’s time to get out of bed and go and do something relaxing.
Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Getting into a sound sleep schedule will automatically tell your brain when it’s time for bed. If you get up at the same time every day, including when you’re off work, this will solidify your body’s circadian rhythm, which is your internal clock regulating your sleep-wake cycle. To ensure your brain and body stay on track, use a soft alarm sound that will help ease you into a new sleep pattern.
Turn Off Devices at Least 30 Minutes Before Turning In
If we spend too long on our phones before bed, then this can create a stimulus that keeps us awake. The blue light that comes from our screens can cause a disruption to our natural production of melatonin, which is a hormone that aids sleep. To have a better sleeping habit, ensure your phones aren’t used 30 minutes before bed, and trade the habit for a candlelit bath or reading.
Good Goal-Setting Habits
You might know how to set goals, but you need to know why you’re setting them in the first place. When you’re spending time training in a new habit, it’s essential to know why. “One of the most important factors in setting goals is the source of your motivation. You are more likely to stick to your goals when they are internally motivated rather than externally motivated,” said Pauline Walin, PhD, a clinical psychologist.
Have an Action Plan for Slip-Ups
Even when you have a plan in place, and you think there couldn’t possibly be anything wrong, there is always room for slip-ups. It would help if you prepared for something to do wrong. “Whenever you try to change a habit, it doesn’t feel natural starting. Forgive yourself, but don’t make excuses. Figure out what has been standing in your way, and then revise your plan to one that you can live with,” says Walin.
Tackle a Goal for the Right Reasons
If you want to accomplish more goals, you need to have a healthy and authentic mindset. Walin says, “If your goal is to develop better eating habits, for example, then you will have a great chance of success if your motivation is to feel healthier and more energetic (internally motivated) rather than to look good for your upcoming high school reunion (externally motivated).”
Create a Realistic Plan
It should always be realistic if you’re goal-setting and non-negotiable. “If your goal is to get regular exercise, plan for what activity you’ll do and how much time or distance you will cover each day,” says Walin. Treating yourself for the behavior is essential and will trick your brain into sticking to it. “A reward helps your brain decide whether or not this behaviour or behaviours is worth repeating,” says Carpenter.
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