7 simple tips that can help you to stick to a habit + Habit tracker PDF

Is there a habit that you want to develop, but can’t stick to? Are you the kind of person who finds it a little difficult to stick to new habits? Then, you are not alone. It is almost common to every person. Habit is an automated, repetitive behavior that we do every day. When it becomes a habit, our mind gives less attention and less energy as it goes on autopilot mode. Like brushing teeth, cleaning, watching TV, scrolling phones, etc….

Hence, changing that pattern and imbibing a new pattern can seem to be a little daunting at the beginning. Like doing meditation daily, starting a reading habit, exercising, drinking enough water or it can be as simple as brushing twice a day.

“Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy” – James clear

You can make your habit ally by following a few simple strategies listed below,

Take baby steps.

Start as simple as possible. It should be so simple as your mind should not be able to find any reason to neglect it. If you want to adopt the habit of reading, start reading for 1 min a day. If you want to start exercising, start with small stretches for a few minutes. If you want to start journaling, start with writing 1 line per day. Start as simple as you can. Then gradually increase it day by day as you become comfortable with that.

When you set big targets like reading 1 book in a week or exercising 30 mins every day, then it is more likely you will give up. Giving up can make you feel discouraged. So start small, because consistency is more important initially than the result.

Pile up on an existing habit

Pile up your new habit on top of the existing habit which is already deep-rooted in your brain. Say, you have to develop a reading habit. If you are a person who is a coffee lover and have a habit of drinking coffee every morning, then simultaneously read a book while having coffee.

Drinking coffee is an existing habit and you can do it without any effort. Reading concurrently can make it easy to stick to that for the long run. This process is called habit stacking.

This is one of the best ways to develop new habits mentioned in the book of Atomic habits.

Break into Chunks

Break your habit into small tasks. Instead of focusing on one particular hour, split that to do on different parts of the day. Let’s consider, you want to start exercising and you plan to do 10 pushups every day. Do 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening. In this way, you will not feel exhausted.

Planning can save you more time. If your habit requires planning like what book to read or what food to eat, then plan. This clears the clutter in your mind and you can start with ease.

Track your progress

Tracking every day gives a clear picture of your progress. You can use the habit tracker app or you can download my habit tracker PDF(Landscape). It is a weekly habit tracker. I have mentioned the days on the top and you can write your habits you want to develop on the left side. Once you have completed the task make a mark on that sheet for that particular day. By the end of the week, you will get an overall picture of your progress.

Habit Tracker final.pdf

Download PDF • 277KB

In this way, you can analyze and plan as per your comfort.

Ask yourself,

Do I find it difficult to do this?

If so, can I make it even simpler?

Am I not finding time to do?

Can I reschedule it?

You will find a better solution for this.

If you miss a couple of days or so, then get back on track as quickly as possible. When starting to build a new habit, new pattern forms in our brain. Initially, this pattern is very delicate. As we continue to repeat several weeks these patterns get stronger in our brain. Then our mind will consider it as an important behavior and will put that in autopilot mode.

Develop an identity-based habit

The right mindset can make this process easier. Develop an identity-based habit. It is changing your inner belief to see the person who you wish to be.

Let’s say, you aspire to have a healthy body and skin. So, you want to develop the habit of eliminating junk and including healthy food in your diet. Now, imagine the kind of person who has a healthy body and skin. Then think,

What would be their daily routine?

What are the habits they follow?

What kind of food do they consume?

What would be their daily lifestyle?

Research about it and inculcate that in your life. Then, your habit will become part of your identity.

Reward yourself

We rely on the motivation factor or inspiration factor to start a new habit. But, we cannot depend on these factors in the long run. Motivation can come and go. It is temporary. So start rewarding yourself for a small win.

Reading a book every day or exercising may not be fascinating all the time. Keeping a reward system in place can boost your mind. Like, “If I read daily without missing a single day in a week, then I will treat me with good mouthwatering cakes”. Enjoying the end result we wish can take a long time, this small reward can keep the process moving.

Find a partner

Growing together is more joyful than building habits on our own. Find a partner who is on the same pace as you are. It can be your friend, neighbor, spouse, sibling, or anybody. If they also wish to develop the habits, then go hand in hand.

Growing together can give you more energy and enthusiasm. Share your progress every day and also reward each other and be motivated.

Follow these simple steps while developing habits. This can help you to grow and stick to your habits for the long run. Click on like, if you find it useful, and comment if you follow any other tips.