How to Start a New Habit, pt. 1 (3 min. read)
Let’s face it - who we are today is basically the result of the habits that we have formed and kept over our lifetime. What we choose to eat, how we exercise, sleep habits, and countless other lifestyle choices play into our current physical health. Add in the emotional, relational, and spiritual habits we have or don’t have, and you’ve got a lot of different factors playing into the picture.
With all the craze of New Year’s Resolutions, diets, and self help books out there, chances are at some point in your life you’ve tried to establish a new habit. Maybe you’ve heard of the SMART goal technique (making a goal that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). This is great, but goals are not the same as habits. Habits help us reach our goals.
This blog post (part 1) will be about how to choose a habit that is going to work for you, and the next blog (part 2) will be about how to actually implement it. So how do you choose a new habit? Read on.
1. Choose a habit that’s meaningful
This is step one because without it, the whole thing falls apart. If someone (like a counselor) tells you to start a habit, but you don’t actually find it meaningful, no amount of accountability will keep you going in the long run. It has to be something you want to do. This is fundamental. Your doctor could tell you to lose 10 pounds and start you on a new diet, but if you don’t see the reason to lose the weight, it’s not going to happen.
One great way to choose a habit that will be meaningful is to think about how you would like your life to be different in 3 months. This helps you grab hold of a vision of your future that you can help mold, but it’s not so distant that it seems unattainable. Think of one step to help yourself get to that place and make that your new habit. For example, if you want to be better at speaking Spanish in 3 months because you have a few neighbors who speak Spanish, a new habit could be studying for 15 minutes a day.
2. Choose a habit you can work into your current lifestyle
Another key to choosing a habit is making sure that you can actually fit it into your schedule. Most likely, if you are a pretty busy person, you don’t have ample amounts of unallocated time per day to add in a new habit. So start small, choosing a habit you can be sure to accomplish. Think about where you are at in life and what you could adjust to accommodate this new activity. You want to set yourself up for success, and being realistic really helps in this step.
Now this does not mean that you choose something too easy or comfortable. By nature, trying something new may seem like it doesn’t fit your routine, but the key lies in the fact that you are creating a new normal. Just don’t go to the extreme when changing the way you do things. That typically doesn’t last for long. Our brains thrive under a little resistance, but too much resistance or change will lead to burnout and apathy.
3. Choose a time to rest or take a break from the habit
Finally, don’t be a robot. Everything in life works in rhythms, and time off is so key to staying healthy. This is true in every area of life. Think about it - we are only conscious about two thirds of the time. The other third we sleep, letting our bodies rest and our brains sort through various bits of info we’ve picked up along the way. We take in food and then dispose of the stuff we don’t need. We work during the week and rest on the weekend. We plant seeds, then we reap a harvest. This is life.
On top of that, even things that humans create need rest. Think about how your computer or phone slows down if it’s been on for too long. And how often has the solution to a technology problem been to turn something off and then back on? So as you start a new habit, plan to take time off from it every now and then. Maybe you do something 6 days a week and skip the 7th, or you choose to do something every other day. This also leaves margin for error and helps you see that you don’t need to shoot for perfection all the time.
So there you have it. Choose a habit that is meaningful to you, fits into your lifestyle, and allows for rest. Now read this post about how to stick to a habit that you have started.
Written by Nicholas Hunter, MA, LPC.
Cover Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash