Piggyback Off Your Current Habits
One of the best methods to start a new habit is to piggyback off something you already do. Using these as triggers, we can generate brand new habits. Studies have shown that these new habits don’t need to be similar to the current ones either! My favorite is brushing your teeth. We all brush our teeth in the morning. I have made brushing my teeth as a cue to start meditating with great success. This is a type of implementation intention.
After I perform X then I will do Y
Keep in mind, you need lots of repetition for this to turn automatic. Conscious intention needs to be applied in the beginning. So be patient. You are connecting brain neurons together and forming a new association between the cue and the behavior. It took 45 to 60 days for my brushing teeth cue to turn into an automatic response to meditate. Here are a few examples to start thinking about.
Turning on the shower and removing your clothes ➡️ Get on your scale and record your weight
Plugging your phone in at night ➡️ Take out your workout clothes for the next day
Waking up and putting your feet on the ground ➡️ Immediately do 5 push-ups or 5 pull-ups
Homework Assignment for the Month
Now it’s your turn. Think of your current habits. Something you do every day without fail. How could you add a new habit after the current one?
Next Month
I'll discuss why it is so important to start habits as tiny as possible. When it comes to new habits, ability is crucial.
New Environments, New Habits
As a consultant, I have begun to travel again. This means staying in hotel rooms, waking up in different time zones, and having different human interactions. This throws my habits completely out of sync.
Meditating in the morning got difficult. I felt tired and rushed. My trick was to turn a 10-minute session into 3 minutes. Something better than nothing. Keep the habit alive.
Eating unhealthy was another issue. I tended to order the worse food on the road. To make better choices, I pre-plan my meals before it’s time to decide. I plan out what meals I will have for dinner before the trip begins.
Time on my phone increased. I have my phone on me at airports. Anytime I was bored or tired, I pulled out my iPhone. To counteract this, I started placing it inside my laptop bag, so it became harder to access.
Habits love stable environments. Don’t underestimate the importance of controlling your environment. It plays an enormous part in the success of habit building.
Best,
Irfan
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