Your habits create your reality. They determine whether you become successful or fail miserably. Good habits maintained with discipline bring excellent results. Conversely, bad habits can easily lead to a miserable life.
Everyone knows the importance of habits, yet we fail to follow the good ones consistently. For instance, every person you ask knows that exercise and a healthy diet are crucial for better health. Yet, over eighty percent of them won’t follow these good habits.
People don’t take their habits seriously because they don’t want to change their daily routines. They think it’s too much work. So they get comfortable with what they do and don’t bother following a different path.
What if I told you developing a new habit was easy? Within a few months, you can transform any aspect of your life, including your health, relationships, career, and financial status. Here are five strategies for developing habits through small, subtle steps.
1. Start with 5 minutes a day.
If you have read the famous book Atomic Habits, author James Clear writes about the two-minute rule. It states, “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
I’ve extended the two minutes to five minutes. The point is that you don’t have to go all in to develop a new habit. You can start with a few minutes of daily action. Instead of getting intimidated about making a significant change, you can take small steps daily.
- If you want to start exercising, start with a quick five-minute body workout or stretching.
- If you want to start reading books, read a page or two, which takes about five minutes.
- If you want to meditate, do it for five minutes instead of 10, 15, or 20.
The goal is to start the habit and not stress about making a massive change. Everyone can do something for five minutes daily.
Starting with five minutes a day lowers the barrier to entry and helps avoid feeling overwhelmed.
2. Start new habits onto existing ones.
Another way to develop a new habit is to build on existing ones. James Clear refers to this as habit stacking.
When it comes to building new habits, you can use the connectedness of behavior to your advantage. One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top.
The habit stacking formula is:
After/Before [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].
For example:
• After I pour my cup of coffee each morning, I will meditate for one minute.
• After I take off my work shoes, I will immediately change into my workout clothes.
• After I sit down to dinner, I will say one thing I’m grateful for that happened today.
The best way to incorporate habit stacking is to utilize established routines, such as brushing your teeth or drinking morning coffee. It helps reinforce consistency.
Your current habits are already built into your brain. So, linking your new habits to a cycle already built into your brain makes you more likely to stick to the new behavior.
3. Track your progress.
Most people start a new habit (especially as their New Year’s Resolution) and fail to keep track of it. It is crucial to ensure you are on the right path after you have started your new habit.
Tracking your habits using tools or journaling rituals can increase your motivation and self-awareness. It also ensures you are progressing. And if you aren’t, it can help you take the necessary steps to return to the correct path.
There are many online tools or apps for tracking your habits. I use the old-school journaling method, listing my weekly progress and seeing how I am performing.
You don’t need to see a significant change in a short time. It is best if you make gradual improvements over time. Remember, small daily/weekly wins will result in substantial changes in the long run.
4. Reward yourself for consistency.
The best way to motivate yourself to maintain your habits for the long run is to reward yourself for being consistent. It doesn’t matter if your achievement is big or small. Pat yourself on the back for consistency and progress in your journey.
For example, treat yourself to a delicious meal, take a break and go on a vacation, or celebrate your milestone with your friends or habit buddies.
Rewards can trigger positive reinforcement. They can help you stick to your habits longer and achieve your desired goals.
5. Be patient with setbacks.
Building a new habit can come with many challenges and adversities. You might not achieve the results exactly as you had imagined. However, minor setbacks are inevitable and don’t mean failure.
I prefer to look at your progress rather than your setbacks. I learned this concept from Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book The Gap and The Gain.
We are “in the gap” if we only see the distance between what we have achieved thus far and the ideal goal. It results in failure, frustration, disappointment, low self-esteem, and guilt. Conversely, we are “in the gain” if we measure how far we’ve progressed from our original goal. It leads to success, satisfaction, confidence, high self-esteem, and optimism.
Instead of measuring the gap (things you didn’t accomplish), look at the gain (things you did accomplish). It shows that you made progress.
Maintaining a growth mindset and practicing self-compassion are crucial to overcoming setbacks.
Further, you can bounce back by reanalyzing your habits and focusing on your ‘why.’ Review your progress and start small again.
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Building a habit is about consistency. If you are consistent, progress is sure to happen. You become unstoppable, and the habit will surely stick.
Never lose hope. It is always best to make small progress and stick to the plan to achieve effective results in the long run.
Get started with your new habit to transform your life for the better. I’m rooting for you!
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