How to make new habits stick and reach my goals this new year
It’s that time of year again where everyone is setting goals and #newyearnewme is trending on socials. You might be the sort of person who loves the motivation that January, you might find the new year messaging annoying or overwhelming and be trying to speedily scroll past the fitness ads, either way we ‘ve got you covered! In this blog we will offer a few science backed tips to help you reach the goals that matter to you and avoid the common pitfalls that lead us to reach the middle of the month having eaten 10 mars bars and not been to the gym once!
1. Don’t aim for perfect
How often is it that we go out all guns blazing determined to nail our goals 100% without any errors. If you are anything like me that all or nothing thinking creeps in and sets all kinds of unrealistic standards that we were never going to manage to achieve. We put in huge amounts of effort initially but can’t sustain it and burn out pretty quick. In actual fact the bet way to create change is to start small and build up. By setting a small goal we can achieve it easily and very soon it becomes no effort at all at this point we can stretch it a little further again feeling that it is easily attainable and over time we build up to the point where that big change feels entirely natural. James Clear author of Atomic habits writes “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement” essentially those little changes all add up. For the visual learners amongst us here is a graph I often use to explain this phenomena.
2. Tie the new habit to an existing habit.
The less you have to think about it, the less effort it is or the less it inconveniences you the more likely you will be to keep doing it. If you want to stretch more do a few each time the kettle is boiling, if you want to meditate make it part of your night time routine, if you want to walk more link it into your commute or your lunchbreak. Deciding to do something new creates a hurdle to jump but if it is part of something you are already doing its just a slight addition you are unlikely to notice and will be prompted to do because its part of something you are doing anyway as part of your day.
3. Reduce barriers to the things you want to do and create barriers to the things you don’t want to do.
If you want to go to the gym the time you are least likely to do it is when you are sitting comfy on your sofa and have to get your kit, go out into the cold etc etc. So many barriers! If you have your gym bag ready in the back of your car and head there on your way home from work when you are already out and about then you are more likely to do it for the simply reason that there are fewer barriers. Same is true in reverse, if you want to eat fewer biscuits don’t have them in the house, you are far less likely to eat them if they involve a trip to the shops.
4. Focus on your values, goals and achievements
If you aren’t feeling the motivation it can be useful to bring your focus to the reasons that you set this goal in the first place. What difference will it make if you were to keep working towards your goal? What benefits might you see this time next year? How would you feel if you were to succeed?
Our brains can be pretty negatively focussed sometimes, we notice all the barriers and failures and don’t bother to recognise our successes and potential. Celebrate each time you succeed in your plans and notice it as a step towards your goal. Some people find it helpful us a habit tracker so that you can keep focussed on how far you have come and remind you to keep going.
5. Get others on board
We are social creatures that respond to social pressure, use this to your advantage! If you know someone who is working on a similar goal then buddy up, do it together, share tips and ideas and keep each other accountable. If you don’t have anyone in your circle you could think about joining local groups or socials communities to keep connected and inspired
Most importantly remember that you are an individual and so when it comes to reaching your goals it’s key to do it your way. It’s easy to get disheartened when we compare ourselves to others or beat ourselves up when it’s just not our day. Remember that you are aiming for long term change not a quick fix, pace yourself, be compassionate to yourself and build it up slowly. You’ve got this!
Written by Nicola