How to Form New Habits

Looking to incorporate a new habit into an already full lifestyle? Well, you’re not alone! Millions of us every year look for ways to incorporate a new habit into our daily or weekly routines. Many of us also fall out of the swing of things with our new routine before they convert to regular habits. Whether you’re looking to make weekly meal prepping your new jam or you’re hoping to incorporate a next-level writing session into your day-to-day, here are 5 tips to get you started!

1. Set your intention. 

By now most of us know precisely what this means, but for those of us who don’t, let’s dive in. Setting intentions can help us achieve the end goal. Figure out whatever it is that’s on your heart and make it known to yourself and the world that you are going to make it happen. Whether you do this prayer, meditation, writing it down–find your “why” and make it known in your own special way.

2. Set realistic goals. 

Don’t go cliff diving before you climb up the cliff, it just won’t work! Start small and work your way up. Say your ideal habit would be to write for an hour first thing every morning, then start by committing to one hour every week. If it happens in the morning, great. If not, figure out what’s getting in the way of that and determine if you need to adjust your goal based on reality. 

3. Grow on those goals. 

Once you’ve conquered the first small goal you set for yourself, start to build on it. For example, once you log that you’ve written for an hour per week for multiple weeks, bump it up to two hours per week.

4. Share it with someone. 

This part can be incorporated earlier on in this process, but I find that if I wait to share what I’m working on once I’ve already started working on it, I feel a little more “proud” when I do so. Feeling proud of yourself is a great way to stay committed, but having someone in the background checking in and cheering you on can be an even greater help. 

5. Don’t stress or obsess. 

Whatever you do, don’t stress or obsess over your new found habit. It’s so easy to idolize a thought or a goal that we forget why we’re doing it in the first place. If you’re overly-invested, stressed, or banking on success, just let it go and hit reset. If what you’ve added to your routine causes you an excess of stress, then it isn’t serving its purpose and it isn’t serving you. 

Whatever new habits you’re looking to develop or grow, no matter how daunting they may feel, just start! In the words of author Zig Zalger, “You don’t have to be great at something to start, but you have to start to be great at something.”