HABITS

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope 2017 will be a year full of self-development and growth as I seek this for myself. It’s been a couple months since I wrote my last blog as I took time out to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends back in Canada.

Now as we enter into the new year, we settle back into our routine with the thought and intent of resolutions to start the new year right. Am I correct? Personally I don’t follow this trend. I believe we should consistently be setting small, attainable goals throughout the year, but for those that do, I hope this blog will come in handy in helping you work towards achieving those goals.

Habits are part of us; it’s our behavior and or actions that are repeated over and over again until it starts to feel natural. Habits can be positive and negative and affect our daily life. To change our behaviour for good, we need to start believing new things for ourselves. This is why it’s extremely important to start small and create positive habits to achieve our goals. 

So how do we turn goals into habits? First, let’s define what habits mean. Habits are a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. In order for habits to become part of our behavior it takes practice and dedication. For example, say your goal is to be able to run / walk four kilometers or to work out for 30 minutes. These goals could break down to increasing your distance by 1/4 to 1/2 kilometer or adding three to five minutes of gym time per week.

Below is a framework called “The 3 R’s of Habit Change,” that I first learnt about from Author and Photographer, James Clear. James writes extensively about behavioural psychology, habit formation, and performance improvement that I have found very useful and apply in my life. A good read I recommend from James Clear is: “The Habits Guide: How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones”.

For example, if your goal is to exercise every day after work:

·      Pack your gym bag BEFORE going to sleep the night before. This is the reminder. That way, every morning you already have a bag to throw in your car or bring with you.  

·      As soon as 5pm hits, you are in your car or on your way to the gym. This is the routine.

·      After your workout, thank yourself for packing your bag, getting to the gym to exercise and remind yourself to do it all again tomorrow. This is the reward.

Lastly, how long does it take to build habits? The question we all want the answer to. Have a read on this study published in the “European Journal of Social Psychology” that James Clear recommends. On average it can take over 2 months for a behavior to become automatic and depending how habits are formed depends highly on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances.

In conclusion, start small. Pick ONE habit that’s easy to complete and do it every day. 

·      Build momentum so as you get good at completing that small task, slowly expand and build momentum with your successes.

·      Remain accountable. Do what you need to to keep yourself accountable throughout and remember to reward yourself.

I'll leave you with this quote by Aristotle, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."

Next month I’ll talk about how to get motivated in the first place and how to stay motivated for the long run.