Building new habits can be challenging, but there are tricks to make them easier and provide yourself a better chance of sticking with them. We are going to review just what those are. James Clear has created 4 “laws” that support the creation of a “good” habit that we will be summarizing in this post.
To get us started, let’s take some time to think about that habit you tried to break or create, that you were so gung-ho for the first week, and then, maybe, slowly lost your excitement. What happened? What contributed to you not being successful? Time? Ease? Support? Importance? So much goes on underneath the surface, it’s important to explore and discover.
As we look to live our best lives, we may realize we need to tweak this or change that. The 1st law is “make it obvious”. Cues need to be right there and in your face. What better way to do this than to set intentions. What are you going to do, when, and where?
We all already have a ton of habits we do every day, why not tag the new one onto an old one? Your old habit becomes your cue for your new one. After I … I’m going to do … Lastly, give yourself reminders. Maybe that’s sticky notes, phone reminders, buddy calling you up, alarms going off, anything works here. Most important thing is that it’s going to work for you.
Maybe the new habit is one you need but don’t necessarily want. The 2nd law is attach it, that is, do the old habit that you’ve master and like to do and then do the new one that may not be so attractive, but one you know is going to get you where you want to be. This will ease the process, giving you a bit more motivation. We all know doing things with others is way more fun. Is there a group, club, team you can join to add to the excitement and add a little bit of accountability?
Now we’re going to review “law” #3, that is make it easy. Can you lay something out, prep ahead of time, schedule, or plan for, to help you complete the new task that much easier? At first, make it quick and simple. Try to do it in just a few minutes, the easier something is the more likely you will do it, again, and again.
We’ve reached the end of this post, hopefully you gain a few new tips, and had a chance to try a few new tricks. I hope you’ve experienced that building a new habit doesn’t have to be long and painful. It can be fun and rewarding. Let’s wrap up by reviewing “law” #4, make it satisfying. This time you’re going to do something you enjoy or want right after the new habit, so you’ve got support on the front and the back end. Check out a habit tracker, there are all kinds of apps that do just this. Who wants to stop a good thing? The more days you see that you’ve been successful the harder it will be to stop. It feels good to be successful! Lastly, if you do miss an opportunity to complete that new habit, no worries, try, try again! Pick it right back up where you left off. I would love to hear how you’ve used these tips and tricks to kick off creating that new habit that’s going to support you in transforming and living your best life! Feel free to reach out by email or on social media (FB, Instagram, LinkedIn) with comments.
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