Thread by @MindHaste

7 Tips for Building New Habits

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Building new habits is one of the most challenging and most rewarding processes we’ll experience in our lives.

The tips below are specifically about starting new habits,
but you can also adapt them to support you in breaking existing unhealthy habits.

1. Find your motivation
Habits are far more likely to succeed if they are based on intrinsic motivation,
rather than extrinsic motivation.

To give yourself the best chance of creating a sustainable habit,
take a good, long look at your motives before you even start working on this new activity.

2. Start small
The easiest way to sabotage a new habit is by taking the ‘all or nothing approach and going from 0 to 100 in the first few days.

Starting small and increasing the frequency and intensity of the habit will make it far easier to sustain in the long-term than leaping right in.

Setting the bar low also reduces the likelihood that you’ll get discouraged and drop your habit because it’s ‘too challenging’
or because you’re not making the progress you’d hoped you would. This leads to the next tip…

3. Be compassionate, not critical
Internal criticism is the kryptonite of building new habits
and you’ll find it much easier to create a sustainable habit if you’re on your own side.
That doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of the inner critic, but being mindful of it.

4. Enlist the support
Feel free to ask trusted friends and family for any help and support they can give you while you’re building your new habit.

External support is especially helpful when you’re building habits that require lifestyle changes,
such as changing your diet or your exercise habits.

If you are around other people who have a similar lifestyle to you,
asking them to support you in making your lifestyle habit changes by, for example,
not bringing sugary foods into the house, will make it easier for you to maintain a new habit.

5. Be accountable
Declaring your new habit to others is a great way of getting support from people around you,
and it’s a great way of adding a healthy dose of accountability to your situation too.

Being accountable might involve enlisting the help of a dedicated accountability buddy that you check in with regularly,
or going public with your new habit to your wider circles of friends.

6. Set a regular schedule
Making your new habit a regular part of your daily or weekly routine from the very beginning,
will give you a much greater chance of sustaining it over a longer period of time.

Dedicating a specific block of time to your habit on the same day and hour each week,
will make it easier to integrate that habit into your life than just waiting until you feel like doing it.

some habits are easier to implement first thing in the morning,
particularly activities like exercise, meditation, or keeping a journal.

Setting aside time for a new habit first thing in the morning not only makes it easier to remember but it also gives you the satisfaction of moving on with your day

7. Have a goal in mind
Having a specific goal to work towards can help maintain your new habit and give you the challenge to work towards.
If you choose to create a habit-related goal, make sure it is SMART

Make the Change You've Always Wanted Now!

If you want to make your goal happen, start to take action about it.
Don't let procrastination hold you back from achieving your goals!