Tips for Forming Habits
Habits!
Today I’m going to tell you 2 of my 5 tips for successful habit forming as a preview of [as told by britni].
Habits are difficult, I’ve been there. I know how it feels! During college, I was taking a heavy courseload as well as working either one full-time job or two part-time jobs at the same time. In order to be successful and have the ability to manage my time in the most efficient way (without losing my mind every other day), I had to learn how to form habits! Basically, I had to train my body to work like a machine doing the everyday chores without having to put much mental effort forth. The more time I spent focused on the laundry and dishes I had to do, the less brain space I had for the things that mattered- my art and my health and my Puppi (he’s my cat/bff).
But forming these habits are not easy! I had to first learn to start small. This began by making it a habit to set my clothes out for the next day before I went to sleep. You have no idea how many classes to which I arrived early just because I didn’t have to pick out my clothes the morning of! After I mastered that simple habit of just setting out my clothes for class and then for work, I would then work on packing my bag for the next day and placing it by the door, or putting the washcloth that I cleaned my face with in the morning by the sink. And then, it led me to writing down my plans/goals for the next day as well in my nightly routine.
Spoiler Alert: Just because I wrote those goals down, doesn’t meant that I accomplished them all the next day. However, doing this allowed me to get into the right mindset and begin that next day with awareness and a type of drive that can only be accomplished with planning. Anchoring that habit to setting out my clothes only added to the mantra of “getting ready” and feeling completely prepared for whatever was to come after I woke up.
Starting small allows you to make it basic and keeps you from overwhelming yourself. There is no sense in setting too high of goals that will just drive you to the ground and result in you feeling down on yourself. That is the perfect way to work backwards. Starting small allowed me to keep myself from getting in a slump. Trust me, I still slump sometimes, but this has cut back majorly on how often I let myself go down in a slump.
Preparation is key to progress.
Even now, there are times I do not feel like getting my hands dirty in clay, but I start small by making it goal to at least wedge balls of clay for throwing or at least throw one vessel on the wheel. The majority of the time, I throw that one vessel and then decide to keep going. That 10 minutes fuels me because I started small and kept my expectations low.
The same goes with exercising. You don’t want to do it? Fine! But at least do 8 minutes and see where it leads you.
Start small and you will not be disappointed. If you want to read more on this topic, download Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg on audible and have a listen.
So now that you have time to sit and think about which habits you want to start small, you can then start now! As soon as you have an inkling to do something or complete a task, count down from 5 and launch yourself off of that couch and get it done. After 5 seconds, your brain is able to think of all of the excuses. See 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.
My favorite example that she used in her book/audio is getting out of bed in the morning. This, I have been practicing and it is amazing. When I wake up, whether because of my alarm or Puppi, and all I want to do is sleep more, I count down from 5 and on the last second, I sit up. Sitting up is my first accomplishment of the day- and guess what? It’s kinda small….
That motivation and drive gets you going. It allows you to launch up and do some ninja tasking (BJ Fogg). That countdown does something to your brain and changes your entire mindset. It releases all of the good stuff that keeps you fueled for the day and you achieve your goals and grow.
Do you get nervous talking in front of people? I do, on camera. 5-4-3-2-1 CONFIDENCE! That countdown allows you to begin work and complete your lists but it also gives you the bravery and confidence you might need some time.
Netflix pops up and asks if I want to continue watching? But do I really want to continue watching? Yeah, it’s nice to binge watch tv, but tomorrow am I going to sit there and have procrastinator’s remorse? Probably. So instead of pressing “Yes, Continue Watching” I count down and press no and stand up from the couch to be productive.
I never said this would be easy. And this is just 2 of the 5 big tips I’ve learned in forming habits. Start small and just start small today. Or start now. Figure out a daily habit you would like to incorporate into your life. Small changes lead to big results, I promise you that.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at astoldbybritni@gmail.com or text me at 770-852-0249
Happy Habit Forming!
Britni
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