Habits are a big part of human nature; we all have good and bad habits. Once we’re conscious about the bad ones or its consequences, we consciously want to change them. In this post, we will see how you can create good habits and stick to them.
What’s a habit?
As mentioned above, human beings are made of habits. Most of the actions we take unconsciously is a habit. In Emmerance’s words, a habit is an action we take automatically without thinking.
It all started when we were young; we learned how to brush our teeth, shower, and eat—basically, the necessary stuff for survival. The way you do them is like a routine, and we did so for so long that we don’t think about it.
When you wake up, you probably have the habit of going straight to the bathroom, brush your teeth and shower. If we break down this little routine, you might have a particular way of brushing your teeth without thinking much of it. That’s a habit.
How to create a good habit
Now that we know how habits work, we must plan to start doing the right actions unconsciously. Let’s say you have a goal to lose weight. You bought all the materials, new running shoes, and dumbells, but you start slacking after two weeks. There are many reasons why you ended up going back to bad habits.
First, you probably tried implementing a workout routine without removing the bad habits. Second, you were super excited and motivated about your goals and lost the motivation after two weeks. Or Third, you didn’t plan your day correctly to workout without interruption.
Well, there are many examples of why we don’t stick to new habits. Our minds and bodies are already used to our old ways. However, the good news is that we can rewire ourselves to make the new habits stick.
To create a new habit, you must have a good plan. The key here is to find the best method that works for you.
Different kind of techniques
In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, the author clearly explains different methods that you can try to create a new habit. I highly recommend that you read this book if you want to learn how to create a good habit and stick to it.
Make it attractive
One of my favourites is the second law, make it attractive. The first technique is you must build temptation around the new habits. For example, you pair an action you want to do with an activity you need to do.
Let’s say you want to work out around 7 am; you can pair working out with eating a healthy but good meal afterwards. I like watching a good anime after my workouts, I don’t do it every time I work out, but when I’m not motivated, I tell myself, “if you work out, you will get to watch One Piece.”
The second technique that I believe contributes a lot to our daily routine is our culture. In James Clear’s book, he suggests joining a culture where our desired behaviours are normal behaviour.
So if you’re trying to lose weight, hang out with people that regularly work out. This method will motivate you because your circle influences you. As the saying goes, “show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.”
There are many more laws that James Clear explains in his book, and you can try the ones that best fit your needs.
How to stick with the good habit
You might think that you need the motivation to stick with your new habit. However, the problem with motivation is that you’re not always going to be motivated.
When I planned my 2020, I focused on my new goals. I wanted to get better at many things; I wanted a better body, write more, read more and sleep effectively.
Just like when you’re planning on working out, you buy a lot of materials. When I wanted to read more, I had a list of books to read, and I bought them three at a time. It’s beautiful to see that you have many books. The challenge came when I had read them.
After a few days, I missed my 30 minutes to an hour of reading time. So, I created the habit of reading every day at 4:30 am. Then, I had to stay consistent with it.
When picking a law suggested in the Atomic Habits book, you will have to be consistent with it. Even when you’re not motivated, your mind and body know that you must do what you’re used to doing.
Some people say that it takes 21 days to build a habit; some say 90 days. I say the longer, the better. I recommend that you stay consistent with the new habit long enough so that you feel bad if you miss a day.
Creating good habits and being consistent is vital.
When you implement a good habit, it changes your life. When everything comes together, you will feel like a new person. As in, you have a new identity. That’s the power of a good habit.
Creating a habit is an art; the way to do it is by repeating the same actions. To learn more about the technique you can use, James Clear’s blog has good advice.
You can have a good habit in mind, but you might not know precisely how to implement it. The book Atomic Habits by James Clear Helped me tremendously with my habits.
To finish, you have to remember that it’s not easy to create a new habit, but it’s not impossible. Experience different methods that can help you. I gave you a few techniques but reading the book suggested will help you build the desired habit. You can create your new identity when you’re consistent with your actions.
