HOW TO CREATE NEW HABITS

in #success7 years ago (edited)

In today's blog I will be going over a few tips to help implement new habits into your daily routine. The hardest part creating new healthy habits is just starting them, the first step and I will give you a few ways to get this process going.

The 30 Day Rule

Often you will read that the best way to create a new habit is to repeat that action for thirty days. If you can do that, then eventually you will have ingrained the behavior deeply enough that you won’t be able to stop.


Thirty days would theoretically be long enough for you to rehearse an action long enough for it to become ingrained at least somewhat, but that ‘magic number’ is actually very much subjective and random. There is no reason that doing something for thirty days should be any better than doing something for 29 days or 31 days.

This does seems to be accurate in a way and if you can stick to a new behavior for that long, you’ll at least be on the right track. This makes the setting in your mind a bit easier also. If you know that you have to exercise first thing in the morning for thirty days only, then that can be easier to stomach than thinking you have to do it permanently.

Micro Habits

Struggling to floss your teeth every day, even just for those 30 days? You might want to try using something called ‘micro habits’. The idea of a micro habit is essentially to hack the 30 day trial by finding a way to stick to your habit for that long much easier by breaking down the new intended habit into something that is extremely easy and simple to stick to.


For example: Floss just one tooth and then a different tooth each night. This is a two second job so there should be no difficulty in sticking to it. Break down your new habits into the smallest step. That small step opens the door into building the discipline to take the action which is essentially the hardest part. Once you’re on track of doing a micro habit, it will be easier to continue to add more steps to get to the full habit you intend to achieve.

Steemit

It might be tough to start writing a post on Steemit at times or commenting on others. If you start to write just one sentence or paragraph each day or one comment on another post, you will start to form the habit of doing so and it will then be much easier to up the quantity. Micro steps eventually add up to being a ton or completing what you set out to do!

For exercising it could be so hard to start but if you just start with one push up a day, you can easily continue to add another over time until you are doing reps of 100 in the day!

Try to avoid a scenario where you might look at your micro habit and feel that it is ‘pointless’ so you can just ignore it. The hardest part if getting started and you will notice that just doing a micro habit will often lead to completely finishing the whole habit.

Attach New Habits to Current Surroundings

For an extra boost try attaching your old habits and your current surroundings. If you want to create a habit of flossing your teeth, then a good option is to attach this onto a habit you already stick to: such as brushing your teeth! Make it so that this process is one of the same and must be completed together.


Another example is picking a specific point in the day for it to come after – such as you’re morning coffee. This works because it connects the new behavior to old ones inside your brain. You have a network of neurons that fires whenever you make your morning coffee. Now, when that network of neurons fire up, they should also cause the new habit network to light up. In essence makes it easier for you to have the will power to start the new habit.

Environment and Convenience

You need to find a convenient time for your new habit and place in which to do it. You need to know that time and place is always going to be convenient. Working out for example, you always need to a gym available already and a time that is convenient.

Why? Because you could then be stuck in your patterns and make the excuse that they are always more important and can never find the right opportunity.


Keeping your environment and surroundings consistent is important to help encourage your habit. This is why when trying to break a habit, the advice is always to change your surroundings immediately.

The Power of Routine

One action is a habit but if you string these together, then you have a routine.

This is incredibly important for accomplishing goals and if you can build a routine for yourself that contains multiple good habits, then you’ll find that you massively enhance your likelihood of success in all areas.

When you have one good habit set up, start to stream line your day by adding each one after the other in the most convenient ways.

Habit is great but change things up!

Don’t forget that the value in life comes from mixing things up and trying new things. Don’t let yourself move backwards, or you will start to weaken and stop growing. Habits help you get to where you’re going, but don’t forget to enjoy the view along the way.

@bitdollar

Help support me on Steemit by engaging on this post!! All feedback is greatly helpful to better myself, my content and as well as everybody else that follows.
You can subscribe to my YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/mattj3
IMG_4764.JPG
My recent trip to Mexico

Recent Posts

Humans are Creatures of Habit

Embrace Pain & Embarrassment to Become You’re Best!

HOW TO GAIN UNSTOPPABLE DISCIPLINE

WHY YOU LACK DISCIPLINE?

WHY SELF-CONFIDENCE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

Why is the Love Emotion So Powerful??

Real Estate Market Update - Toronto, North America and International Major Cities!

Sort:  

Wow these are great points that I have never thought of or implemented in helping me change my old behaviors or habits. My son calls it "New Normal" love that. I really like the idea of 30 days breaking this new habit or behavior into a small step so that it sets me up to succeed as it is a small goal rather than grand....that is when I give up and start using excuses. Also like how you explained how to associate that bad habit to something that you enjoy or look forward to. Brilliant. Because I am a visual person I am going to put a big X on my calendar I have on my fridge to show I met my achieved new habit. Don't know why but things like that work for me. I think I may be a tad OCD. Thanks for helping me be a better version of myself......Appreciated. P.S. Have you ever seen Bill Murray's movie Baby Steps it is an older movie and a comedy at that but it actually is based on how to achieve things by taking Baby Steps.

Writing down and visualization helps so much! That is a great habit itself to have. Thank you for helping me also with your wonderful comments @donnab!

Haven't seen the movie but do remember the name of it. Will have to check it out. I like Bill Murray's movies, I remember him watching him growing up.

Have a great day!

thanks for sharing your experience <3 i really add this wonderful habits to my life :D keep sharing bro <3 i appreciate you <3
@sibtainali

Thanks so much!

Excellent @bitdollar. Your post was very timely as I knew I needed to change some bad habits this year in order to be the best version of myself in 2018 and beyond. Thank you for sharing. Upvoted and resteem

Glad it helped you @karinzdailygrind! You were on the path already and why you must of found this post. Keep adapting to making your habits the best they can be for yourself. We will make this year our best yet! Thanks for the support my friend!

Really very good information and motivational post, Really helpful and well written
@bitdollar

Thank you :)

Well said pal. Establishing healthy habits on our day to day life can surely improve our overall productivity and even increase happiness.

In the end, everything related to have good results is based on discipline. If we managed to develop our mental strength that allow us to be discipline we will be in the correct path to find success.

Well said and great add!

Thought and content process well organized. I like how you link the main gist together with Steemit. Will be following you for some good content like this one- keepitup :) @bitdollar

Thanks so much @deborism!! :)

Solid content, makes me recall one of my favourite quotes:

The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to be broken

Just commit to the habit you want to implement and your neural pathways will do the rest 🙏🏼

Otherwise, if you're into travelling, vlogs, fitness, self-development etc feel free to check out my channel, in any case keep up the good work and I'll see you around! :)

Marvelous quote and followed up insight there!

Just commit to the habit you want to implement and your neural pathways will do the rest

I am into all those topics actually. I will be travelling end of January to Guatemala and will be vlogging each day.

Followed! Thanks for commenting!

Right back at ya 🙌🏼 Ohh Guatemala? Never been there, closest I've been is Costa Rica for surfing. I'll make sure to follow you as well, seem to have a good mindset and exciting life 🙏🏼

Yea you as well! I think we have a lot in common. Look forward to our friend ship and learning from you! :D

A great post and good tips for trying to change habits. I have noted them down to try and use to train myself out of a couple of minor but bad habits

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing @tattoodjay!

You've put together a really great article, @bitdollar! I don't think I have heard of or read about most of these points you make. They sound like they would really work to help establish a new desired habit.

I've upvoted and resteemed this article as one of my daily post promotions on the @mitneb Curation Trail. It will be featured in my daily curation report on 10 JAN 2018.

Cheers!

Glad you found them insightful! Thanks for featuring me on the Curation Trail @mitneb! Have a great day my friend!!

I am starting to exercise again this year after a surgery. I can back up every single word in this article. It is about discipline, atfirt, but THEN it is just about habits.

Thank you for sharing!

Yes totally agree! Wish you a healthy recovery @flashfiction! Thanks for sharing my friend!

Habits require a lot of discipline. 30 days is a great challenge to prove yourself you can do it. Good habits pay off big time at the long run, when they become part of your life already. Great content and creativity of topics my friend. Keep up the good hard work.

Yes I am totally seeing the benefits in this as I have been steeping it up recently. You are always happy once you have started to implement them. Thanks so much my friend!!

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.18
TRX 0.14
JST 0.030
BTC 58668.45
ETH 3162.85
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.44