How to Build a New Habit That Actually Sticks
Are you tired of starting a new habit only
to give up a few days later?
Unfortunately, this is a common experience
for most people.
The secret to building new habits is to follow
a process that focuses on small, incremental
steps.
And this video can help you do that!
What you’re about to see is a simple 9-step
process about building habits that you can
immediately implement.
Now, in this video, I will describe a variety
of tools and research related to habit formation.
So if you want to learn more about these concepts,
then I recommend checking out the description
box of this video.
And if you want to see more videos like this
in the future, then be sure to like this video
and subscribe to our channel.
Alright, let’s talk about how to build habits
that actually stick.
Step 1: Focus on One New Habit
A concept known as ego depletion will be one
of your biggest obstacles to habit formation.
Ego depletion is:
A person’s diminished capacity to regulate
their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Ego depletion impacts our ability to form
new habits because our supply of willpower
is spread out among all the areas of our lives.
Because of this, it’s important to work
on only one habit at a time.
That way, your store of willpower can be channeled
into completing that one habit, increasing
your odds of success.
So the question is:
What one new habit do you want to form?
Identify it now and learn everything you can
about how to do it right.
Become an expert in this activity and do a
deep dive to self-educate yourself about this
activity.
Then you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Commit to a Minimum of 30 Days
Some people say it takes 21 days to build
a habit, while others claim it takes up to
66 days.
The truth is the length of time varies from
person to person and habit to habit.
You will find that some habits are easy to
build while others require more effort.
My advice is to commit to a specific habit
for the next 30 days (or a month to keep it
simple).
During this time, focus all your energy around
completing this habit.
Step 3: Anchor Your New Habit to an Established
Routine
A habit shouldn’t be based upon motivation,
fads, or temporary desire.
Instead, you should associate this habit with
behavior that you already do.
To make this happen, we recommend using a
strategy that comes from B.J. Fogg’s Tiny
Habits concept:
What he recommends is to anchor the new habit
to something you already do on a daily basis.
Here are a few examples:
After I get to my car from work, I will change
into my workout clothes and walk for 10 minutes.
After brushing my teeth at night, I will write
down everything that I ate for the day.
After I drop off the kids at the babysitter,
I will stop by the gym for my yoga class.
You get the idea.
Simply find an established routine and then
anchor the new habit to it.
Step 4: Take Baby Steps
The danger of relying on motivation alone
is you don’t have a backup plan for those
unexpected challenges in life.
So, the secret to lifelong habit formation
is to take baby steps that turn a new habit
into automatic behavior.
The idea here is to create a micro-commitment
where you can stay consistent and never miss
a day.
You will discover that with a low level of
commitment, it will be easier to start this
habit and complete it each day.
Here are a few examples of micro-commitments
you can make:
Walking for just 5 minutes a day.
Writing one paragraph of your book.
Eating one serving of vegetables each day.
Making one sales call to a prospective customer.
Waking up each morning 10 minutes earlier.
Sure, these activities might seem overly simplistic.
But that’s why this is a powerful concept!
When it’s easy to get started, you will
build momentum and will often do more of the
habit than you originally intended.
Step 5: Don't Break the Chain
There’s a popular, habit-related story that
supposedly involves the comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
When talking to a budding comedian, Seinfeld
gave a simple piece of advice:
Set aside time every day to create new material.
The key here is to never miss a day, even
if you’re not in the mood.
At the start of every year, Seinfeld hangs
a one-year calendar on his wall and makes
a big red X on the calendar for every day
he writes new comedy material.
He doesn’t have to write a lot of material
every day.
What’s important is to do something every
single day, without fail.
His focus is to never break the chain.
Marking X’s on a calendar encourages you
to complete your desired task every single
day.
The more you look at an unbroken string of
red X’s, the more compulsion you’ll feel
to get over any initial resistance and force
yourself to get started.
This step will help eliminate the excuses
we all make for skipping a day.
Yes, there will be days when you’re tired,
busy, overwhelmed, sick, hungover, or depressed.
All of these can be valid reasons to skip
a habit.
But if you focus on the baby steps that I
just mentioned and never break the chain,
then it will be easy to create a sticky habit.
Step 6: Plan for Obstacles and Challenges
Every new habit will have obstacles.
But, you can plan for these challenges and
learn how to effectively adapt to them.
To get started, here are a common obstacles
that you might encounter:
Not enough time
Experiencing pain or fatigue
Bad weather conditions
Not enough room or space for the habit
The cost of the equipment related to the habit
Self-consciousness
A simple way to respond to obstacles is to
prepare for them ahead of time.
And you can do this by using something called
the If-Then Planning concept.
Whenever you encounter a challenge, use this
experience to create an If-Then statement
for how you’ll respond the next time it
happens.
Here are a few examples:
If I check the weather and it’s raining,
then I will work out at the gym instead.
If I don’t have time for an important goal,
then I will wake up 30 minutes early every
day and work on it before anything else.
If I have a really bad day at work and don’t
feel like working out, I will still walk briskly
for at least 15 minutes.
Step 7: Create Accountability for Your Habit
Track your efforts and make public declarations
about your new habit.
According to the lessons learned from the
Hawthorne effect, you’re more likely to
follow through with a commitment when you’re
being observed by others.
So to stick with this new routine, let others
know about your efforts and goals.
Here are a few days to do this:
Post updates on social media accounts
Use apps like Chains and Coach.me to track
your progress
Work with an accountability partner
Join a community that related to your new
habit
Post regular updates to an online forum related
to the habit.
Never underestimate the power of social approval.
You will stay committed when you know that
you will be held accountable for following
through on a new habit.
Now, before we move on, I recommend checking
out our video that profiles 15 habit tracking
apps.
I’ve linked to it at the top of this video
and in the description box of this video.
Step 8: Reward Important Milestones
A new habit doesn’t have to be boring.
Instead, you can build a reward system into
the process, so you can celebrate those important
milestones.
The reward you pick is up to you.
You could check out a new movie, enjoy a night
out with your significant other, or treat
yourself to an item you’ve always wanted.
To learn more, we’ll link to an article
with 155 ways to reward yourself.
It’s easy to underestimate the value of
having fun while building habits.
Often, looking forward to a specific reward
will help you overcome those challenging obstacles.
Step 9: Build a New Identity
The final step is to turn this habit into
a core part of your identity.
Only then will you stick to it without the
constant need for reinforcement.
James Clear often talks about something he
calls Identity-Based Habits.
The idea here is you can build a lasting habit
by making it a reflection of who you are on
the inside.
Simply put:
You need to believe the habit is part of what
makes YOU a unique person.
Clear recommends making the habit part of
your identity and then use each small win
as a way to demonstrate that it’s who you
are on the inside.
Really, it starts with a shift of mindset.
With a new habit, reinforce this behavior
by saying things like:
I’m the type of person who loves to go running.
Then, follow through by doing it on a daily
basis.
Eventually, your internal identity will match
this new habit.
So there you have it -- the 9 step process
to building a new habit.
Now it’s your turn...
To get started, I urge you to pick one habit
right now, then make a commitment to focus
on it for the next 30 days using the process
that I just outlined.
If you need a little help, then make a public
declaration by commenting on this video with
the specific habit that you would like to
build.
Finally, if you would like to see more actionable
strategies to help you build a better life,
then please like this video and hit the subscribe
button.
Thanks for watching and I’ll talk to you
next time.
