Make small changes to your habits: Rather than trying to overhaul your entire life at once, focus on making small, incremental changes to your habits. For example, if you want to start exercising regularly, try starting by walking for 10 minutes a day, and gradually increasing the time and intensity as you become more comfortable.
Focus on the process, not the outcome: Rather than obsessing over the end result, focus on the process of building new habits. For example, if you want to lose weight, rather than fixating on the number on the scale, focus on consistently eating healthy meals and exercising regularly.
Make it easy to start: Make it as easy as possible to start building a new habit. For example, if you want to start meditating, try setting aside a specific time and place for meditation each day, and having all the necessary items (e.g. a meditation cushion) ready to go.
Make it difficult to break: Make it harder to break a habit by creating barriers or making it inconvenient to do so. For example, if you want to stop procrastinating, try setting a specific time each day for focused work, and turn off all distractions (e.g. phone notifications).
Use triggers to your advantage: Use existing triggers in your daily routine to remind you to perform a new habit. For example, if you want to start flossing every day, you could set a reminder to do so right after you brush your teeth.
Track your progress: Keep track of your progress to stay motivated and see how far you’ve come. For example, if you’re trying to save money, track your spending in a budgeting app or on a spreadsheet.
Get accountability: Find someone to hold you accountable for your habits, whether it’s a friend, family member, or coach. For example, if you’re trying to quit smoking, you could join a support group or work with a smoking cessation counselor.
Celebrate your wins: Celebrate your progress and successes to stay motivated and reinforce the positive behavior. For example, if you’ve successfully gone a week without procrastinating, treat yourself to something you enjoy (within reason).
Learn from your mistakes: Don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up or break a habit. Instead, use it as an opportunity to learn and adjust your approach. For example, if you missed a day of exercise, try to identify what might have caused the lapse and come up with a plan to prevent it from happening again in the future.