You must have a plan to incorporate new habits into your routine. Here you have 5 easy steps to make your new lifestyle happen.
New habits are necessary if you want to change something in your life. Improving your routine doesn’t have to be a painful process. There is an easy way to do it.
On one of my broadcasts, I explained why I broke down our goal setting mission in small steps.
I’ll share part of the “secret” on this post, but I still recommend you watch the replay on members only area.
“So what’s the secret, Debbie?”
The answer is engagement!
It may sound simple at first, but what will define the success (or failure) of your goals is your level of engagement with them. It’s the main reason I prefer using the word “commitment” instead of “resolution.”
As I said on Periscope, resolutions are frequently hiccups of enthusiasm, because they aren’t:
- Based on realistic goals.
- Moved by a burning desire.
- Supported by engagement.
Creating engagement
I could have summarized some streams and a couple of my recent posts in a very long one with everything about goal setting.
I don’t mind writing endless content. You’d probably have to digest it in small portions, but it was doable to put it all together.
Instead of explaining the processes involved in goal setting, I could have just pointed out what you have to do, and that would be it. The thing is that I’d be giving you all the answers and not allowing you discover them yourself.
Engagement is the magic word that helps goals become reality. #MindfulPlanning #coaching Click To TweetAs a Productivity Life Coach, I want to engage you!
Before anything, I want you to unveil your Personal Power and feel excited about the possibilities ahead of you.
I’d not be giving you the chance to explore anything if I had dropped the answers for you. In fact, assuming that I had them all to start with it already off.
That’s why engagement is so crucial when wanting to take your dreams to the next level.
The Success Journey so far
Up to now, you have:
- Created a (dump) wish list.
- Picked 3 goals you want to dedicate yourself to.
- Chosen 1 primary goal that is going to be your mission.
- Searched for all information about this number 1 goal.
- Started planning your actions and new habits.
Today, we are going to focus on the planning aspect of implementing new habits.
There’s a slight difference between the approach used to plan your day-to-day life and your goals. The one thing they have in common is the need for some structure to keep track of your activities.
We all know that life “happens” and there must be some flexibility to embrace new situations. In our daily life, changes, of course, must be seen as part of the game. Losing our inner peace because of them is nothing but a waste of energy.
When it comes to goal setting, while you rarely have fixed appointments, you must be extra careful not to lose track of your progress.
New habits for success
As a rule of thumb, there are 5 ways you can implement new habits that will lead you to successful goal accomplishment:
1. Keep It Simple
You have already trimmed down your goals from an extensive list to 3. These 3 are critical, but for the sake of prioritizing, we’ll be focusing on 1.
Instead of spreading your energy all over the place, it’s better to focus on a must-achieve goal.
The habits that will lead you to this objective must be equally straightforward. Don’t think that you’ll be able to change your life radically with the blink of an eye.
It’s better to set one new habit at a time than to get lost in a long and unmanageable list.
Define new habits that'll lead you to your goals without stress. #MindfulPlanning #coaching Click To Tweet
2. Be Realistic
The implementation of just one new habit per week is great for simplicity, but also to keep things real.
Assuming your deadline or important milestone is due by the end of the year, you have enough time to accomplish it without exerting yourself.
Besides, you need time to make them part of your routine. If you start to pile them, soon you’ll feel overwhelmed and stuck.
So if it has been ages since you last did a workout, going consistently to the gym 3 times a week for 12 weeks is realistic. Whether you stay for 1 hour or 30 minutes doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you showed up.
Consistency is crucial when building new habits. #MindfulPlanning #coaching Click To Tweet
3. Set Milestones
Do the following test. Write 2 tasks you need to complete on your calendar. One, you write as a dateless note. The other, you add with a due date.
Unless you are someone extremely organized, chances are the task without a due date won’t be timely finished.
If your goal involves several years, like attending college, for example, set milestones after each semester or year. Thinking only of the end of the line would make it impossible to follow up.
Milestones help you keep your progress in check.
Set milestones to your goals to track your progress. #MindfulPlanning #coaching Click To Tweet
4. Get a Support System
Whether it’s your partner, a friend, colleagues or members of an online community, having a support system is key when implementing new habits.
They are great for accountability and support in general.
The closer they are to you the better but don’t underestimate the power of long distance assistance.
If those around you still don’t see the benefits your new habits will bring you, don’t hesitate to search for online partners or professionals.
Build a support system for accountability on your journey. #coaching #MindfulPlanning Click To Tweet
5. Repeat
It takes more than one shot to develop new habits. Even when you do everything right for a week or 2, you have to repeat it many more times before it becomes natural.
Rewarding yourself for small victories is great, but make sure your efforts don’t stop there.
We are talking about improving your lifestyle long term. Therefore, your commitment and dedication need to be renewed continuously.
Putting into practice
Based on your plan and your goals:
- write down the actions that you have to take: make organized notes with clear due dates or milestones
- use verbs to describe your tasks: writing down “book” does not have the same effect as “read book XYZ”
- block reasonable times in your agenda: don’t overbook yourself with too many responsibilities
- listen to your body: learn the difference between the need for extra rest and laziness
- be excited: no one said it was going to be easy, but you are getting closer to your goals
