Hey
Happy Saturday!
As you know, April and I released our Habits & Mindset PLR bundle on Thursday. I wanted to use this opportunity to talk to you about my own experience with building habits that make them easier to stick to, and the one thing that has helped me the most.
There are a lot of ways to build habits - and frustratingly - you don't know which one is going to be most beneficial for you until you experiment and see what works the best.
I am a big fan of the habit tracker, where you choose 10-20 little habits to do every day, and check them off each day, without stressing about being perfect.
But over time, I found that it wasn't really helping me stay consistent with any one habit I was trying to change.
The Trick? Change Only One Habit at a Time
Through a lot of trial and error, I figured out the very best thing for me was to change just ONE habit at a time. No exceptions, no trying "just a few" because they're all part of a morning routine.
This isn't a new trick and it is probably something you have heard before - it just took me a long time to realize it for myself. As an all-or-nothing, black and white thinker, I tend to go all in, or do nothing at all. I have always been like this.
And it became a theme in my life for the next 39 years until a few months ago when I realized the reason I couldn't stick to anything wasn't because I'm a quitter, but because I try to do everything at once.
Even though I had read 10 million (or like a few) books and articles and blog posts that say you need to take habit forming one step at a time, even though I had literally written that advice time and time again, I felt like I was the exception. That I could totally change 15 different little habits all at once.
And I kept failing. Over and over again.
The thing is - when you fail yourself, you don't just fail to create those healthy lifestyle habits you so desperately want to incorporate into your life. You convince yourself that you are a failure. You get it into your head that you can't change anything, so you might as well just keep living your life the same way, and never really try anymore.
I had been through this so many times before. I convince myself that I would change just one thing at a time, then in about 2-3 days, I feel comfortable adding more and more, then suddenly a week in, I am quitting again.
Ugh.
Self-sabotage rears her ugly head again.
But this time, I decided to do it right. And be very strict with myself that until something became a habit that I no longer had to think about, I would not try to incorporate anything else into my routine.
My Tips for Choosing and Building Habits
Here are a few more tips that might be helpful when it comes to choosing and building your new habits:
1. Start with something small and simple. I think the first step of this process is committing to your new habit. That way, you start believing that you can do something new, you have the ability to change and see something through. For your first habit, choose something super simple and basic that would be very easy to do each day. My first habit? Making my bed every morning.
Yes.. I was one of those "why bother making it?" people. Not only has it made a big difference in my life, but it helped me see I can change my habits one at a time.
2. Find a way to track your habit. If you use a journal or planner, write down your habit every day. Add it to a daily to-do list. Use a habit tracker. Cross it off in your calendar. Whatever you need to do to remind yourself to follow through, especially in the beginning.
3. Look for signs it is time to move on to the next habit. This was a big one for me. How long do I go? When do I know it has officially become a new habit? For myself, I noticed I was ready when that habit started happening on auto pilot. It had become something I just automatically do, naturally. Like brushing your teeth in the morning or eating a meal at a certain time of day. You don't even have to think about it..
you just do it.
Okay, that's all I have for you today. I hope it was helpful. If you are looking for more habit building content, especially about working on improving your mindset, you can get 25 brand new articles with our new Habits & Mindset Changes bundle.
Have a great weekend!
