Making habits stick

We all have habits. They come to us by way of conditioning most of the time. This is why they are so hard to change if we want to change them. Some habits are hard to break because there is a chemical reaction within our body that happens when we try to quit. Like smoking or eating too much sugar. Some habits are just ones that you may not want to do anymore but it has become so ingrained into your daily routine that you go crazy with trying to change it. I like to change habits by crowding out the old ones I don't want, and create new ones by adding ones on to the things I already do daily.

 Have you heard the term habit stacking?

This is a term created by BJ Fogg. You already have many things you do automatically that are habits. Getting up and going to the bathroom, making coffee, brushing your teeth for example.  Now, take one of those habits and add on a habit just before or after the one you already doing. Here are some examples.

• 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.

• After I get into bed at night, I will give my partner a kiss.

• After I put on my running shoes, I will text a friend or family member where I am running and how long it will take.

Just stack these on top of each other and they will become habits and then a natural part of your life. Things to remember are:

•  make your current habit the cue to start the next habit

•  stack the new habit onto one that you do daily

• Be specific in your cues, for instance, "after I put the coffee on (which is your current habit)  I will drink a 16 ounce glass of water." (Which is your new habit of getting more water in)

• They have to be immediately actionable. One habits cues the next

It is suggested to make a scorecard of habits so that you can have a layout of where to place your cues for your new habits. Here is an example I borrowed from James Clear who wrote Atomic Habits.
 

Start by making a list of your daily habits. Create a list with two columns. In the first column, write down the habits you do each day without fail.

Here’s a sample of where your list might start:

• Wake up

• Turn off alarm

• Check my phone

• Go to the bathroom

• Weigh myself

• Take a shower

• Brush my teeth

• Floss my teeth

• Put on deodorant

• Hang up towel to dry

• Get dressed

• Make a cup of tea

In the second column, write down all of the things that happen to you each day without fail. For example:

• The sun rises.

• You get a text message.

• The song you are listening to ends.

• The sun sets.

Armed with these two lists, you can begin searching for the best place to layer your new habit into your lifestyle.

This will help you to keep moving forward with your health goals. If you need more guidance send me and email and let's talk it over.