We come across great new ideas all the time, but how do we make the good ones stick? Set yourself up to succeed! In a quick survey today, friends reported they are working on:
- Regular meditation / exercise;
- regular blogging;
- schedule changes in the daily routine;
- use the calendar on my phone since it always with me;
- take pictures of children’s sports schedules then toss the paper;
- grade daily (teacher);
- perform an outside task (sweeping, raking, weeding, etc.) for 15 minutes daily;
- drink more water;
- make time for yourself;
- know exactly what’s for dinner by breakfast; and
- make bed every morning.
- (These are all great ideas, thanks everyone for sharing!)
Here is how to make these happen, Cap’n!
Think it through!
Look at your current situation and the new habit from all sides. Imagine what success looks like. Conversely, realize that every great new idea may not be for you! Wonderful people whom I love and admire just ran the Chicago Marathon. I can love and admire them and their achievements, yet not be want to train for or run a marathon. Just think it through, for you and your life.
Recognize the potential obstacles.
Great new habits may conflict with existing habits, by pulling time and resources away from other areas of our lives. Look objectively at what the new habits require, and prepare to dedicate the time and resources they need. Looking at the list above, all of these habits require at least a little time every day to execute, so we may have to cut other habits to make room for new ones.
Set up your physical space.
Let’s look again at the list …
- For meditation, we need some quiet space in our home, or to find a meditation class.
- Drink more water? We can put in a water cooler, buy re-usable water bottles, or get those little flavored drops to add.
- Use the calendar on our phone? Make sure to have the phone with us all the time.
- Make the bed daily? Clear the piles on the ground that keep you from straightening up.
- We bought a used car a few weeks ago. I added the keys to my key ring, and rearranged the garage and the cars to make the new car easiest to access.
Set up your mental space.
Why do you want to create this new habit? What are the end results you want to achieve? Cement those answers in your mind! Then make an appointment every day or week to make the habit happen.
Get Buy-In.
To maintain motivation, tell everyone you know about this new habit. Sharing your plan helps others to help you, and creates accountability. If exercise is your new habit, co-op a friend or co-worker to exercise with you. If you want to start meditating, tell your family and let them know what times you’d like to avoid interruptions. Tell everyone the benefits of your new habit for them, because – let’s face it – most people want to know what’s in it for them.
Leave reminders..
- Let’s use the “use the calendar on my phone” habit as an example.
- Do you like auditory reminders? Set your alarm for 5 pm every day (or whenever), and mentally review your day to add any scheduling events that need to go into your phone’s calendar.
- Do you like to talk things out? Set up a regular meeting with family or co-workers to review and upcoming events, and make sure they are in your electronic calendar.
- Do you respond to visual reminders? Leave a post-it note reminder on your paper calendar, to remind you to reach for the phone instead.
- If your goal is “drink more water”, use even more specific reminders like rubber bands on your water bottle. I carry a 32 oz. bottle all the time, so I might put two rubber bands on the bottle, and move a band from the top to the bottom every time I refill.
Expect setbacks, but don’t give up. Good habits take three weeks to establish, and years of practice to keep! Expect some bumps in the road to success, but don’t give up when one occurs. But the good news is that Good Habits are worth the work!