How to build new habits easily
Goal:
Would you like to learn a new language, start drawing, writing or train a lot? There are some simple ways to do it and to motivate yourself. According to studies it takes about 28 days to develop a new habit. So follow me and I’ll show you how.
How:
First step is to define your goal. Remember: you don’t have to start big. You can start with setting a simple goal: train 15 minutes a day. Once you have a goal you should schedule it. What is the ideal time to do it? If you don’t have time? Wake up 15 minutes earlier. Boom, you have time now.
Method 1: Calendar reminder
The simplest method is to use your phone’s calendar or the calendar on your desk and add this new habit and a reminder. Simple as that. Be disciplined, and always do the task, regardless if you’re doing something else at the moment. If no one’s health is in danger, stick to your plan.
Method 2: Phone application
I’m testing a simple app called Productive to create my new habits. It works quite well until now. I built some habits and do them every day. It is possible that I overdid it and added 19 new habits, which might be too much to start at the same time. However the most important 5 is already a habit.
Features of the app:
Add new habits, choose an icon for them
Schedule: morning, during the day, evening, all day, n times a week, biweekly etc.
There should be a few days or weeks or probation period where you test if you’re willing to commit doing a new habit every day, or rather should set it to three times a week first. I’ve added my most important tasks as daily tasks and some less important ones as three times a week habits.
Now meditation in the morning and evening is an integral part of my life. Also writing my long term goals and reviewing my tasks and day is part of the daily schedule.
Method 3: Additionally: note reminders
For some tasks it’s nice to have a little more push in the beginning, so to encourage my morning training routine, I’ve added a postit note next to my bathroom sink, so every morning I look at it, and immediately are reminded that I should do my training. You can keep these notes or remove them after a few weeks.
Method 4: Ask someone else
If you want to make sure you’ll do something just promise your spouse or best friend that you will do it and let them remind you and verify your progress.
