Everything you do, you do out of habit. There’s no getting out of it.
You get up every weekday at 6am but come the weekend, you (hubby) get angry at not being able to sleep in for just a little longer.
Whenever you pop on a movie, you grab chocolate, crisps, sweets, and beer. But maybe you wanted to pick up a book, grab a glass of water and eat a carrot (I mean if it’s Friday then it’s a no from me but a Tuesday? Yeah ok)
How come Sally can have a clean kitchen at 7am on Monday and not the trash heap that you seem to have EVERY. SINGLE. MONDAY. (me, most weeks)
How does Bogdan, post every single day and you are pulling words out of your ass a la lastminute.com
Are all your habits good ones? (Who I am kidding, I do not have all good habits, we have to have some vices) But are the good ones serving you? Do your good habits outweigh the bad?
If you’re still here I’m going out on a limb to say you fancy resetting the balance a touch.
This is my KISS (Keep It Simple Sexy) process:
- Never more than 2-3 at the same time, and even then make sure it’s not something as outrageous as say, Giving up alcohol, getting up 2hrs earlier every day, and starting that crazy-assed diet all at the same time. No human can do this – if they say they can then quite frankly I will presume they are from another planet.
- Write it out EVERY. DAY. Feel the words flow from your brain, down your neck, caress your shoulder, bobble down your arm, tingle your hand ever so briefly before shooting down your finger and out of the pen. There’s some sciencey stuff saying this makes a difference between you thinking about it and actually doing it. (Check out Cosmical for all the info)
- TICK BOX. What brain doesn’t get a rush when that box has a neat, petit, proud tick in it? Again – we are hijacking chemistry here – legally. Whoop
- Min of 30days – They say it takes around 30 days for a habit to stick, but we are all different – for me, my exercise habit took ages, and others were quicker. Give it enough time to become automatic for YOU, this could be 35 or 61 days.
- Cut it from your list – Once embedded – swap it with another habit. Build your routine. But, keep an eye on your new habit, that you still do it without the tick box. Feel free to pop it back on if needed.
It’s becoming apparent that I adore a 5 step process.
Have no scooby-do where to start? Then I have a few recommendations – obviously.
Any old scrap of paper will do. Post-it note – knock yourself out.
That old notebook is gathering dust on your shelf – go grab it.
HOWEVER, If you are interested in books specifically designed for this there is Assiduous, Oodles, and Ritual
Tell me, how do you set and maintain habits?
Is your process the same, similar, or wildly different?
Let me know – I really nerd out on this shizz
Ready to begin?