How to Form a New Habit

We all have been there. We resolve with the best intentions to break bad habits or start good ones, maybe on our birthday or for some other special event. A few days or weeks later, you’re back at square one, old habits still intact, and the resolution non-existing.

What’s the secret to breaking or creating habits that stick? Having the desire to form new habits is not enough – you need knowledge about how to do so.

Here are five simple steps you can follow to form a new habit, whether you want to get up earlier or eat better.

Consistently do it each day
To form a habit, you must be consistent. You should visit the gym every day for the next thirty days if you want to exercise. 

It is harder to form a habit if you’re inconsistent in doing it. Getting into the habit of doing something once or twice a week is more challenging.

Take it one step at a time
Many people who have trouble building new habits say they don’t have enough motivation or wish they had more willpower. 

You can resolve this issue by choosing an easy habit that you are motivated to do. You can begin with five pushups a day rather than 50. Start by meditating for one minute a day rather than attempting to meditate for 10 minutes every day. Ensure it’s easy enough to complete even if you are lacking the motivation one morning.

Identify obstacles and make a plan to deal with them
Obstacles are inevitable when starting a new habit. You can take preventative action to overcome the barriers when you expect them in advance.

Prepare and expect that these obstacles will come. Then, you won’t get blindsided by them. There are statements you can ask yourself that we can call the “if-then statement.” There can be several powerful examples in this type of statement, such as:
Whenever it rains, I will work out at the gym rather than going outside.
I’ll start waking up 30 minutes early in the morning to work on my project if I don’t have time at the end of the day.
No matter how bad I’m feeling at work or if I’m not feeling like exercising, I’ll still walk for 15 minutes.”

Never miss a second time
There will be times when you break your habits. Don’t let that discourage you. It helps if you always get back on the horse – even after falling off and this same ideology can be applied to avoid making the same mistake twice.

Missing one workout is fine, but you might not want to miss two or three this week. Activate the principle of “never miss a second time” to achieve any goal you desire.

If it takes a while, be patient 
“Patience is a virtue” is an age-old saying that rings true for building habits. Some habits won’t produce their intended results right away, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthwhile. 

It takes time to build muscle, flossing every day to maintain healthy gums, and perfecting that needed meditation. A motivated mind keeps their eye on the prize and remembers why they are trying to create a new habit.

Give yourself a reward
Finally, rewarding yourself with something for practicing this new behavior is the most crucial step. As you reward yourself, you’re reinforcing and reaffirming the behavior. Eventually, you associate the behavior with the pleasure of the reward on an unconscious level. 

It only takes a moment to create a force field of benefits that you unconsciously look forward to when carrying out your new habit. Start today and follow this guide and you will see results faster than you think!