Create new habits? Sounds good. But it costs. Therefore, taking advantage of the fact that going back to routine is just around the corner, I want to share with you a very useful method to incorporate and strengthen lasting habits in your day to day.
You will see that it is very easy to remember. The letter R is the key (you just have to remember a little bit about me.
How to create new habits and stick to them?
Every habit always follows 3 steps.
- Reminder: It is what drives you to start the habit.
- Routine: The action you take.
- Reward: The benefit you get after taking the action.
Research in behavioral psychology corroborates that each of the habits that are part of our lives has been incorporated in this way.
But the million-dollar question is:
How can you use this structure to create new habits, and above all, adhere to them so that they last over time?
Step One: Reminder
Establish “associations” that remind you of your new habit. Many will tell you that to change and maintain new habits, you need will and, above all, a lot of self-control.
But the truth is that you need something else.
Because you and I are human, and both our memory and our motivation fail us.
Guaranteed.
So you need a physical reminder (if possible) that reminds you that you have decided to start a new habit.
Something simple.
Like what?
It is best to see it with examples.
Start by writing two lists.
In the first, write down the things you do every day without exception.
For example…
- Get washed
- Brush your teeth
- Have a coffee or an infusion
- Dine with your family
- Get in bed
You will notice that many of these actions are habits that are part of your daily hygiene and health routines such as washing your face, taking an infusion, brushing your teeth, etc …
These types of actions can act as reminders that you will associate with your new habits. For example, “ After having my infusion in the morning, I will meditate for 60 seconds. ”
Very well.
Now we go to the second list.
In this I want you to write down the things that happen every day without fail.
For example…
- Traffic lights turn red.
- WhatsApp messages arrive.
- You see ads on television.
- The sun goes down.
There you have two lists with all kinds of activities that you do and that happen every day.
Those are the perfect reminders for your new habits.
Imagine you want to feel happier (I’m counting on it;)
Expressing gratitude has been shown to be a very healthy way to increase our levels of happiness.
Use the lists above and choose one of the actions, for example, ” sit down to dinner with your family “, and associate it with this new habit that you want to incorporate.
That way, every time you sit down to dinner with your family, you will think of one thing for which you are grateful.
This simple behavior can generate, in the long run, a much more grateful perspective on life in general.
In my case, I usually do it when I see sunrise every morning 🙂 (yes, I am one of the early risers, and a lot!)
Step Two: Routine
Choose habits that are super easy to start.
We often forget that our goals in life are not our habits.
We are obsessed with incorporating big changes:
- Losing 10 kilos.
- Run a marathon.
- Increase business turnover by 50%.
- To learn a new language…
And we want it now.
Right now.
Peeeeeeeero, it is important that you remember that:
Lasting change is a product of everyday habits, and not a radical transformation that happens once in a lifetime.
If you want to start a new habit that is beneficial to you and your business, you have to start small.
At first, performance doesn’t matter.
The important thing is that you become the disciplined type of person who always respects his new habit.
And once your behavior is consistent, improve performance.
That is: Decide what habit you want to achieve.
And ask yourself, “ How can I make this new behavior so easy to achieve that I can’t say no? ”
I give you another real example.
For more than 20 years I “forgot” to eat breakfast. You imagine?
The most important meal of the day. And I skipped it over and over again.
The point is that when I started working with my personal trainer, I decided that beyond getting in shape, it was time to incorporate that new habit (at 38).
It will be a little Martian for you but, despite my good intentions, the truth is that many days I forgot.
So I decided to incorporate an association that may sound a bit geeky to you.
I set an alarm on my cell phone to sound every day at 9:00 in the morning.
After a few weeks (they say 21 days is the average time to achieve it) I no longer needed the alarm.
At that time he began to feel hungry and remembered that he “had to” eat breakfast.
How is the performance of this everyday behavior improved?
Preparing a rich, energetic and nutritious breakfast.
Now I enjoy my breakfast like I never thought I would 🙂
Step Three: Reward
It is the key for the habit to last over time. Humans like to do things that make us feel good.
And we repeat them.
Because they make us feel good.
And since an action needs to be repeated for it to become a habit, it is important that you reward yourself every time you practice a new habit.
Celebrate your progress by telling yourself how well you have done well, that it has been a success, that you are on the right track …
Pamper yourself and enjoy success, however small it may seem to you.
And little by little, you will be establishing your new habits.
It takes time.
But I encourage you to try it.
You will feel happier and more productive.
And that’s what it’s about.
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