10 Simple, Strategic Things You Should Do To Build Good Habits That Sticks

Hey loves, how is the month going for you? Today’s post is on how to cultivate good habits and stick to them. It’s a new year and I know many of us wants to do away with bad habits and develop new good habits and this post will definitely help you out so continue reading.

We all have one form of bad habit or another, mine is biting my nails when I’m bored or just lost in thoughts, it’s not something I do often now but for the longest time it has always been a bad habit and my mum always beat my hands out of my mouth when she catches me so I quickly learnt to do away with it.

What’s one habit that you will love to drop this year?

What Is Habit?

Speaking of habits, habit is an action performed repeatedly and automatically, usually without awareness. You form your habits by doing something continuously until it becomes automatic.

How To Develop Good Habits

I know most of us see developing or breaking habits to be hard but we can always make it easy by just starting and starting small.

1. Identify the habit you intend to develop

You can’t just want to develop good habits. Which good habits do you want to develop? You have to be specific on the type of habits you want to develop and know what you will need to do to develop it.

2. Change your mindset

If you believe that the habit is difficult to cultivate and that you can’t keep up with it then you most likely wouldn’t. Change your mindset, embrace positive thoughts concerning the habits. See it as something easy, attractive and satisfying not difficult, unsatisfying and dull.

3. Know the actions to take

You need to know the actions to take that will enable you to develop the habit and the ones not to take. You have to take deliberate action continuously so you can master the habit. The most practical way to change who you are is to change what you do. Action delivers outcome.

4. Start small

Don’t just jump to the finish line without taking the necessary steps to get to it. Start small, take baby steps, make the habits easy for you.

If you want to develop a reading habit and for someone that doesn’t even like opening a book to read but then you hope to read 150 pages a day or read a book everyday it’s going to be a difficult thing for you to do because you already find just opening the book tasking. One of the first thing to do is make it obvious, by keeping the book where you can see it. The next thing to do will be to actually open the book, after that it could be to start with at least 10 pages which is you making it easy and when you make it easy you’ll eventually like it and find it attractive and satisfying. By the time you start and continue small then you’ll gradually progress to reading more pages each day.

Changes that seem small and unimportant at first will compound into remarkable results if you are willing to stick to them.

5. Build a routine

You need to make your habit a routine by constantly taking actions daily. A lot of people have morning and evening routines and these are habits that they’ve developed over time that it has become a routine or daily ritual that they can’t do without because they are already committed to it. So you don’t just have to be consistent, you have to be committed. The key to start a new habit or cultivate one is repetition not perfection.

6. Know what’s holding you back

Eliminate every negative thoughts and every obstacle that you know will stand in your way of cultivating the habit. If you are trying to quit smoking don’t hang around your friends that smokes. Know your triggers and stay away from them. If you are trying to cultivate a new habit stay away from distractions that won’t make you achieve them. If you want to try out meditating you should stay away from noise because you know it will distract you. Know what’s holding you back and avoid or eliminate it.

7. Show up

Show up, don’t do one day on and three days off. The more you show up the more you develop the habit, the less you show up the more difficult it is to develop the habit. Learn to show up daily, you might not even get a lot done but just show up. Doing this repeatedly gives you the confidence that you can do it but if you don’t show up you’ll most likely start thinking you are not good enough and can’t get things done so it’s important you show up daily and do something no matter how small.

8. Visualization and affirmations

Your habits shape your identity and your identity shapes your habits. Visualize your new identity with that habit you are trying to develop. If you are trying to stop drinking and want to become sober see yourself as one first and tell yourself that you are one by saying affirmations. You can’t be what you can’t see, you are what you imagine. Imagine yourself as who you want to be and see yourself doing it and also affirm that you are that thing.

9. Accountability partner

Have an accountability partner or someone who can encourage you to become the person you want to become and also help you develop the habits you want to develop. Accountability partners are very helpful and really needed if you are trying to make or break a habit. When you surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have, you’ll rise together.

10. Focus on what you are getting not what you are giving up.

Most times when you want to get something you have to give up another. If you are trying to quit drinking for example, focus on the fact that you are going to be sober, the benefits and how it makes you a better person and don’t focus on what you stand to miss like Friday nights with the guys and the other things that might not be beneficial to you. Focus on the reward and not the loss. That said, have a reward system. What are you going to give yourself for a job well done, how will you pay yourself? It should be something that you really want and excited to have so that way you won’t feel like you are loosing anything but actually getting something.

That’s it on how to develop good habits. What habits will you love to develop and what bad habit will you love to eliminate?

Let me know in the comments section below, don’t forget to like, follow, comment and share if you find it helpful.

Have a great week 🤗