3 Tips On Creating + Sticking To New Habits
Developing good habits is essential to living a happy and healthy life. A habit generally refers to something you do daily to improve your experience. The new habits you create usually become a considerable part of your routine and identity. Creating good habits that help you reach your goals, set a solid foundation for your life, and boost your motivation can be a wonderful thing.
However, deciding to create new habits is one thing, sticking with them is another story altogether. I’ve been inspired recently to really think about a few small positive improvements I want to implement into my daily life, and then stick with them until they become habits. There are simple ways to make this happen!
Read on for 3 Tips On Creating + Sticking To New Habits
I already have healthy habits that I’ve stuck to for years now, like eating healthily most of the time, cooking at home most evenings and exercising regularly.
So today I’m going to share a few of the new habits I’ve been working on lately, with some tips I’ve found along the way that have been so helpful to me.
I came across this quote from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear (I want to read the whole book soon!), and it really resonates with me:
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.”
I really love the idea that if a habit is meaningful, it is actually big – even the smallest changes you implement, if they hold value to you, are really huge game-changers when they stack up over time!
3 Tips On Creating + Sticking To New Habits
As mentioned, developing new habits can help promote mental and physical wellness. They can create the momentum and opportunities that lead to improving your life and becoming the person you want to be.
So here are a few of the habits I’ve been working on lately:
- Create a morning journaling routine – I’ve always wanted to do this. So I decided to go out and buy myself a Rise + Rest Journal (I have this one from Typo) that has morning and evening prompts. I love it because it takes just a few minutes. Every morning I’ve been making my hot ginger and lemon water, I find a quiet spot and sit by myself for a few minutes while I write and drink my water, often I’ll do a few minutes of meditation afterwards. And it just puts me in such a calm headspace. The best!
- Make our bed every morning – Such a simple one! And I actually hate an unmade bed, but sometimes I’ll be in a rush and just not do it. But it’s so worth it, so I want to make a point of it every single day.
- Take 24 hours off social media each week – I chose Sunday as my day off socials, this is one of those “little but big” habits. I want to be a person who is really present in LIFE, and it’s hard to do that with a phone attached to your hand. This small habit has also reminded me how important it is to try to be present in each and every moment, no matter what you’re doing. It’s so easy to be thinking a million things at once and then you can’t do anything to the best of your ability. I have also started switching my phone onto airplane mode an hour before bed, to limit screen time and help me fall asleep more easily, it’s been helping!
- Read more books in the evenings and on weekends! – This has been such a fun one, I actually shared a post last week on What I’m Currently Reading, I’ve had 8 books of all different kinds on the go, and I’ve been absolutely loving it.
- Share more blogs that are inspirational + lifestyle focused – I want to create an Inspiration section of my blog where I share all the things that I’m loving and finding inspiring and that might be helping me in some way, in the hopes that they might be inspiring or helpful to some of you, too.
If you’re looking for inspiration in regards to Creating a Sense of Accomplishment in your team / work life – you might find this article helpful and interesting. Additionally, if you’re looking for deeper guidance on mental health, contacting a psychologist in your area (like BE Psychology highly-trained Psychologists in Dubai) is a really helpful and healing way to find inner peace and clarity.
You might also like to read this article on Good mental health: How to improve yours (and maintain it for life).
And here are my 3 Tips On Creating + Sticking To New Habits that I’ve found helpful:
- Write Them Down
Get out a pen and paper and write down ALL the new habits that you think you’d like to create. And then edit the list to 4 or 5 habits that are the most important to you right now. You want your new habits to be doable and sustainable. If you have 30 new habits to try to implement, chances are you won’t manage to stick to any of them after a few days. But if you just have 4 or 5 that are important to you for whatever reason, then you’ll be more likely to prioritise them and stick to them.
2. Habit Stacking
I picked this tip up from someone I follow on Instagram, and boy is it helpful for sticking to new habits!
All it means is that you take a habit you already have (like your morning hot drink or brushing your teeth), and you stack the new habit on top of that old habit. So, I want to make my bed every single morning, how can I make that a habit? Stack it on top of brushing my teeth in the morning, which is something I do every morning without fail, so now I brush my teeth and then I make the bed. It really takes the guess work out of when, what, how will I do X new habit.
3. Reminders
Being reminded of your new habits, and WHY they’re important to you is really helpful in sticking with them. Write them down somewhere that’s easily accessible everyday, make a note of them on your phone, or write them on a sticky note and stick them up somewhere you’ll see them daily. I find myself reading through my list of new habits every few days, just to refresh my memory and re-inspire me to keep going with them.
Overall, taking time to develop new, good habits can help boost your quality of life. Aside from shaping the person you want to become, it can also enhance your self-esteem and minimize stress by providing you with some structure and stability.
However, it’s essential to know that creating and sticking to new habits may not be enough to totally make your life happier and healthier. Even if you regularly practice them, there’s a possibility you’ll fall out of your new habits if you’re not accountable for your actions, especially bad ones. This is where accountability groups come into play.
For people struggling with various issues, joining an accountability group can be an excellent way to stay committed and disciplined. You can learn to be accountable for your behaviours and decisions. With that, you can improve yourself as you strive to achieve your bigger life goals and ambitions.
To further enhance your habit-building journey, consider utilizing the Greatness app. This app offers convenient reminders to help you stay on track with your new habits and serves as a constant source of motivation by reminding you why these habits are important to you. Whether it’s through daily notifications or a dedicated habit-tracking feature, the Greatness app can be a valuable tool in solidifying your positive habits and improving your overall well-being.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these 3 Tips On Creating + Sticking To New Habits!
As well as creating new healthy habits, this year I’ve been inspired to create a few new goals for myself, so maybe I’ll share a post on goal setting soon 🙂
Thanks so much for being here, and if you have any questions or just want to say Hi, leave me a note in the comments section, I always love hearing from all of you!
