Building good habits and breaking bad ones can be extremely difficult. Humans are wired for routine, and people tend to resist shaking up their routines to include healthier behaviors, often feeling that the effort isn’t worth it. However, it’s important to develop good habits because you’ll be in a happier and healthier place once you implement them and can find endless benefits. Follow these tips to help build better habits.
Make room in your day
It’s important to consider why the habit should be changed. If this habit is getting in the way of healthy behavior, it’s time to let it go. People need to be ready to sacrifice something from their day to make room. For example, if they want to go to the gym three times a week, they will need to create room for it. This goal could mean you’ll need to spend less time watching TV or that you’ll need to get up a little earlier each day to find time to workout. At first, this compromise may not sound great, but getting into a regular exercise routine is worth it.
Tackle one task at a time
Take things one at a time. Trying to change more than one habit at once makes it harder to successfully develop these positive habits. When people fail at changing their habits, they will only become more entrenched in their bad ones, making it more difficult to change down the road. Making one simple change at a time is much more sustainable.
It is wise to make small quotas for a new habit each day. These should fit into larger goals. It may help to think of it as dreaming big, but working small. Think about the big picture and make small goals that you can achieve each day.
Determine what’s getting in your way
One of the most important steps in building a new habit is to avoid giving up when a setback is reached. Do your best to look closely at your habit and see why it is breaking down. For example, if you are not going to the gym as regularly as you planned, think of why you are resisting. It could be as simple as setting your gym clothes right next to your bed so that they are the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning.
Building good habits takes time and determination, but breaking the habit down into small steps helps you achieve your dreams. Think carefully about the process of your new habit and try to eliminate all of the conditions that may make you give up.
Originally published at medium.com