Have you always wanted to create healthy habits and want to get rid of your bad habits?
After reading this week’s blog, you will able to do both!
A few years ago, I was struggling with the same problem. I wanted to create healthy like going to the gym and sleeping early and make them a part of my daily life, but for some reason they never stuck with me.
This was until I discovered the 4 elements that you need to be aware of when creating habits while reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.
The 4 elements to creating a successful habit are:
- Make it obvious
- Make it attractive
- Make it easy
- Make it satisfying
- Make it obvious:
When implementing a new habit e.g. going to the gym every morning before school or work. You need to give your brain a visible cue to get your habit started, so put your gym bag next to your bed in the morning and lay out your gym clothing the night before.
- Make it attractive:
By making your habit more attractive you will be more likely to stick with this newly formulated habit, so in the case of the gym you would tell yourself “I am only allowed to watch Netflix while I am on the stationary bike”. In this case you are pairing an activity you already enjoy with the healthy habit you want to create.
- Make it easy:
A habit can be made by lowering the barrier for yourself to enter into the new habit. Instead of forcing yourself to stay in the gym for 90 minutes, you can say “I only need to train for 10 minutes when I arrive to the gym”. By creating a low barrier to entry, you ensure the habit is easy enough to be repeated and does not feel too heavy on your shoulders.
- Make it satisfying:
Lastly, making your new habits satisfying is an important end to the habit loop. In the essence you are rewarding yourself for completing the habit, so in case of the gym you could reward your gym session with a delicious fresh smoothie once you’re done with your work-out. However, you only reward yourself if you actually complete the habit. By rewarding your behavior, you are more likely to stick with it.
Now you know how to start implementing new habits with ease and start unlocking your full potential!