Humans are creatures of habit and thrive when they follow a routine. Thus, it’s beneficial to incorporate certain self-improvement practices into one’s daily schedule.
The challenge lies in working to make these habits actually stick and make a person feel better day in and day out. Here are some tips that’ll help to make that happen.
Time Consistency
Whatever the activity is, be it working out or prepping a week’s worth of meals, make sure to do it at the same time every day or week. This kind of consistency will be helpful in establishing a new habit into a person’s already set routine.
Staying Accountable
Repetition goes hand in hand with consistency when it comes to building habits that stick. Don’t hesitate to ask a roommate or a close friend to check in on how one is doing in regards to their resolutions.
Aside from keeping a person accountable, support from a person’s loved ones can serve as encouragement for them to continue on achieving their goals.
Using apps like StickK and Beeminder will also help a person in staying accountable to themselves.
Starting Small
Since people are creatures of habit and tend to stick to what they’ve been used to, it would be unrealistic to expect things to change overnight. Making new habits would be more effective when they start through small changes.
For example, those who want to get more active can begin their fitness journey by simply walking more steps a day. Likewise, people who want to do regular weekly meal preps can start small by cooking food for a few days a week.
Setting Clear Goals
It’s always better when one knows exactly why and how they’re going to go about achieving their goals. If they don’t, the uncertainty of what a task entails may stop them from trying to accomplish it altogether.
So, while logging an activity on your schedule, make sure to think about the logistics of a task whether it’s something work-related like completing more projects or something personal like
Never Miss Twice
Lastly, don’t forget that failure is part of the process. Missing one workout, although it can ruin one’s fitness groove, shouldn’t be a reason to miss another.
Make the effort to get back on track despite messing up along the way. Make ‘never miss twice’ a mantra and have a plan for when things don’t go as one expected.
Most importantly, don’t stop working on the habit of creating good habits even though it might make one feel uncomfortable.
