A habit is simply an action that you repeat regularly and naturally. You already live with many habits you perform every day. Some habits are good, like brushing our teeth after each meal. Others can be harmful, eating ice cream every night before bed. Many habits are developed unintentionally, which is fine. But how do you intentionally create good habits?
You can start with identifying your keystone habits – positive habits that are already part of your life and that positively influence other aspects of your life. Keystone habits can include:
- Waking up early
- Keeping a positive attitude at work
- Eating three meals a day
Once you know your keystone habits, find ways to expand on them. Chain your existing habits to new steps you want to take toward your ultimate goal.
For instance, say your goal is to improve your people skills at work. Your existing keystone habit is waking up early every day. A new habit could be to read more about socialization at work.
Break that new habit into its own steps to make it easier to achieve. You should repeat each step every day for at least 21 days to help solidify it as a habit. In our example, you could break down this new habit into simpler steps:
- Wake up 20 minutes earlier for 21 days.
- Use that extra 20 minutes to read every morning for 21 days.
- Focus on reading a full chapter every morning for 21 days.
The key here is to be self-aware of your limits and choose habits and steps to those habits that complement who you are now. Once the habit is formed, it will naturally help you change as a person, making the next habit easier to implement into your lifestyle.
References:
What the Research on Habit Formation Reveals About Willpower and Overall Wellbeing
Making New Resolutions Work for You
Resources:
Why Resolutions Don’t Work – How to Create Lasting Change
The 7 Habits that Books and Reading Help You Build
3 Daily Habits of Geniuses That Can Make You Smarter