Strategies for Implementing Positive Habits

Human beings are creatures of habit. The things we do every day and the actions that we perform involuntarily are often the results of habits that strengthen over the years. It is fortunate then that habits can be changed and better ones can be adopted. It isn’t quite so effortless to adopt positive habits though. Just like any project, real actionable steps need to be taken to succeed at building beneficial habits. Aristotle once said that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

It’s important to understand the basic premise behind how habits work. They constitute primarily of a three-step loop:

·         Cue: A signal for the brain to decide upon a particular habit.

·         Routine: The habit that’s carried out. It could be either physical, mental or emotional.

·         Reward: This is the result of carrying out the habit.

For example, one might decide that when it’s seven o clock in the morning (cue), go to the gym and workout (routine), then have a delicious breakfast (reward).

Start Small

The problem with many people when deciding to change their habits is that they aim too high. Directly setting our sights upon a grand goal, forces our brain to come up with excuses due to it being too ‘difficult’. Instead, breakdown the goal into smaller, more manageable tasks. It’s a lot easier to muster up the willpower for performing an easy, small task than a tough, big one. Ticking off these easier tasks also makes the feeling of accomplishment stronger.

Create a “Chain”

We human beings love patterns and familiarity. Maintaining streaks is innately satisfying to human beings. Just look at the obsession with maintaining Snapchat “streaks”. When working towards building a habit, ticking off those smaller tasks starts looking like a streak. Whenever there’s a temptation to break off from working towards a habit, just take a look at the accomplished tasks. The pattern of completion will immediately invoke strong feelings towards maintaining the pattern.

Consistency

Human willpower works just like a muscle. Using it will eventually “tire” it out and cause it to deplete. It’s imperative to maintain consistency when this happens. If someone wants to get better at essay writing, then practising essay writing every day at the same time will make them better. Habits are a result of consistent practice. The reward part of a habit can play a significant role in maintaining conformance. Knowing there’s a reward waiting at the end makes completing a task considerably more enticing. By staying committed to a habit, it will eventually become second nature and there will come a time when there’s actually craving for it.

Depend on Human Support

We become who we surround ourselves with. If one surrounds himself with negative people, then negativity is bound to creep in. Getting involved with like-minded people means it will be easier to stick to similar habits because that’s what everyone will be doing.