The new year brings an opportunity to start fresh with great habits. But change is scary, and adopting new habits takes time and perseverance. We’ve all made that list of New Year’s resolutions only to find that we have broken most of them by mid-January!
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to adopt too many new habits all at once. Just 12 good practices, one adopted each month, are plenty to turn your life around completely. Of course, it’s important to choose effective habits. The right habits put your success on autopilot. If you’re doing the right things each day, good things happen.
Use these guidelines to create good habits for a better life:
- Know your goals. You need to know your goals before you can choose the best habits to adopt. Habits that support your plans help ensure success.
- Pick the right habits. Look at your most important goals and make a list of habits to help you reach those goals. This is a brainstorming session, so list every possible practice you can think of, no matter how small.
- Prioritize your habits. Take your list of habits and put them in order from most effective to least. Take your time and be honest with yourself. Choose the 12 habits that will make the most significant impact in your life over the next year.
- Make a plan. Put the 12 habits you chose in a logical order that makes sense for you. Start with the first habit and develop a plan for how you can implement it in 30 days. Suppose your first goal is to go to the gym each day for 45 minutes and alternate between cardio and lifting weights. Try this plan:
- Day 1 – find a gym close to the house that is convenient and affordable.
- Days 2-7 – go to the gym for at least 15 minutes and do whatever type of exercise you want.
- Days 8-14 – go to the gym for at least 25 minutes and spend half your time on cardio.
- Repeat this pattern and make sure you are at full speed by day 30.
- Start with only one habit. It may seem faster to put all your new habits into action at once but stick to one at a time. It is much more effective, and your results will last longer. Twelve new habits over a year are life-changing.
- Put all of your energy and focus on that one habit. Make that one new habit a priority. We’re talking about your life here! Commit to being 100% determined for success.
- Do it daily. Daily actions are easier to turn into habits than things you only do a few times a week.
- Plan your energy. People often plan their time without considering their energy levels. If you are a morning person, don’t wait until 5:00 to go to the gym. Plan your time, but plan around your energy.
- Focus on the big picture. Your new habits might not be enjoyable in the short term. However, keeping your eye on the big picture and the benefits you’ll gain will make things easier.
- Track your results. It doesn’t matter if you are tracking pounds of body weight, dollars, pushups, or hours of piano practice; tacking your results is motivating.
Use this plan and after 30 days, add your next new habit. Set a calendar reminder if you have to, but keep going until you’ve added all 12. It may not seem like it, but just 12 new habits will make a huge difference.
Instead of trying to adopt a bunch of New Year’s resolutions at once, try tackling your life one habit at a time. You’ll be amazed at how much more successful you will be.
So, which habit will you choose first?
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