Building New Habits

Building a new habit can be challenging. Here are some suggestions to help you with your mindset and your environment. Some of these will work better for you than others. Selecting more items on the list will generally increase your chances of success.

1. Associate bad things with doing the old habit.

2. For the new habit, associate good things with doing it and bad things with not doing it.

3. Tie the new habit to an existing activity. For example, tie exercise to leaving work.

4. Schedule the new activity for the same time each day.

5. Block the time on your calendar and set a reminder.

6. Choose a place and time where you will not be interrupted.

7. Track your progress using a scorecard so you can see the improvements you are making over time.

8. Ask those around you to support you in your new habit.

9. Use the buddy system and find someone who will do the activity with you.

10. Get an accountability partner you can be honest with and who will be honest with you. Pick someone you will never lie to and won’t want to disappoint.

11. Add peer pressure by posting your goal in writing, positing your scorecard, and by telling your friends and family.

12. Make it a game by finding someone you can compete with.

13. Put skin in the game by having monetary penalties or other consequences if you don’t reach your goal.

14. Choose a valuable reward for when you complete your goal.

15. Select a reward for will receive each time you do the new activity.

16. Put pictures of what achieving your goal looks like on your refrigerator.

17. Talk to an expert, learn new things, and acquire new skills that will help you achieve your goal.

18. Create a list of risks or obstacles that might keep you from doing your new activity.

19. For each risk, create a list of things you can do to mitigate the risk and get yourself back on track. For example, if you are craving something, then give yourself a buffer of thirty minutes and go do something productive like walking around the block. Most of the time the craving will go away.

20. Create an environment that promotes success. For example, if your biggest weakness is watching sports on your couch, then disconnect the TV and remove the couch cushions.

21. Increase the cost and effort to do the old habit. For example, if you like eating junk food, don’t allow any of it in your house. If you really want candy, then you’ll have to go to the store and buy just one item, which is more expensive than buying a pack.

22. Be kind to yourself. If you make a mistake, just acknowledge it and get back on track. It isn’t easy to change, and you’re not a robot.

23. Be patient. If you want to climb onto the roof, you have to climb the ladder one wrung at a time. Rome was not built overnight; your changes will probably not happen immediately.

24. Live one day at a time. Focus on what you need to do and not do today and in the present moment.

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