We all want to be healthier – exercise more, eat better, sleep more restfully. However, over 80% of people who set New Year’s Resolutions fail at them.
So, how do you avoid becoming a part of the statistic? How do you make your healthy habits stick?
Here are a couple of strategies that have helped us and our clients.
1. Make sure the habit itself is enjoyable – e.g. if you hate going to the gym, try running. If you don’t enjoy the book you’re reading, try another one. If the work you’re doing isn’t fulfilling, look for ways you can make it so.
2. Accountability – When our founder needed accountability writing, he used Focusmate.com, which assigns you a virtual work partner. For personal habits, we at HPX prefer to use Habitbull.com to track our habits and keep ourselves accountable.
3. Find the right placement for your habit – Akash tried exercising in the morning but found himself skipping the workouts. Once he changed it to afternoons, and he was much more successful at it. Experiment with what time of day works best for you.
4. Convenience is king – Want to exercise? Find a gym close to your home or work. Or do an “at home” workout. Want to eat healthily? Get rid of the junk food at home, and fill up the kitchen with fruits and healthy snacks that are visible and within arms reach.
5. Set a trigger – “After I take a shower, I will do 10 squats”, “If my alarm rings at 1:00 p.m then I will close my laptop and go for a walk”.
6. Be fluid with your habit – Don’t feel motivated? Do the 30-second version of your habit (e.g. 5 pushups). Feeling very motivated? Do the 30-minute version. But do something on the day you said you would do it. That’s how you build discipline. And that’s how you build habits that stick.