How can I add fun to the process of forming a new habit?
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 3:46 am
The desired action should be as simple as possible. The idea behind "simplify" does not mean "only do simple things." It is about making it as easy as possible to start an action at the moment. Especially at the moment when you are having a hard time and want to give up.
Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. If you want to eat more healthy food, put a plate of fruit on your desk. Pack your gym bag ahead of time and leave it by the front door so you can grab it and head to the gym in one go.
Use the "Two-Minute Rule," which states, "Any new habit should take no more than two minutes." Almost any habit can be reduced to a two-minute version.
“Read before bed every night” becomes “read one page.”
“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “roll out your yoga mat.”
“Do homework” becomes “open your notes.”
“Run three kilometers” becomes “put on your running shoes.”
The point of the 2-Minute Rule is not to do one belarus phone number lead thing, but to develop the habit of starting. Once you master this skill, you can develop and complicate your habit.
We are designed in such a way that immediate rewards are of the highest value to us. And a habit is a behavior that will bring us benefit and pleasure in the long term. Those who are able to ignore immediate pleasures, preferring delayed ones, achieve higher results in the long run. We all want to live well in the future – to be healthy and wealthy. But right now we want to eat chocolate cookies, have fun with friends and sleep longer. When the moment of decision-making comes, instant gratification usually takes over. What to do? Make the “nature of pleasure” your ally.
Add an element of immediate reward to habits that have delayed results. For example, create a savings account for buying things you really need. And every time you refuse an unnecessary purchase, transfer the amount saved to this account. The pleasure of the growing amount will reinforce your habit of wise spending.
One of the most pleasant feelings is the feeling of progress achieved. Any visualization helps track progress - crosses on the calendar, a graph in the app, a series of photos on social networks. A habit tracker, in addition to the feeling of satisfaction from the progress achieved, also becomes an incentive to continue. The circle of habit formation is closed.
Try going the other way and come up with a “punishment” for not following your habit. For example, agree with a friend on a fine for skipping a workout.
What to do if you had to skip a required action?
It is impossible to be perfect in everything. Sooner or later, an emergency situation will arise when you will not be able to follow a habit. Try to follow a simple rule: never miss twice. No one can be perfect, but you must try to avoid a second miss. It is not the first miss that destroys a habit, but the series of misses that follow the first. Missed once - an accident. Missed twice in a row - the beginning of a new habit.
You will find many more useful examples, inspiring stories and specific advice in the book by James Clear “Atomic Habits: How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones”, which we sincerely recommend to you.
Create an environment where doing the right thing is as easy as possible. If you want to eat more healthy food, put a plate of fruit on your desk. Pack your gym bag ahead of time and leave it by the front door so you can grab it and head to the gym in one go.
Use the "Two-Minute Rule," which states, "Any new habit should take no more than two minutes." Almost any habit can be reduced to a two-minute version.
“Read before bed every night” becomes “read one page.”
“Do thirty minutes of yoga” becomes “roll out your yoga mat.”
“Do homework” becomes “open your notes.”
“Run three kilometers” becomes “put on your running shoes.”
The point of the 2-Minute Rule is not to do one belarus phone number lead thing, but to develop the habit of starting. Once you master this skill, you can develop and complicate your habit.
We are designed in such a way that immediate rewards are of the highest value to us. And a habit is a behavior that will bring us benefit and pleasure in the long term. Those who are able to ignore immediate pleasures, preferring delayed ones, achieve higher results in the long run. We all want to live well in the future – to be healthy and wealthy. But right now we want to eat chocolate cookies, have fun with friends and sleep longer. When the moment of decision-making comes, instant gratification usually takes over. What to do? Make the “nature of pleasure” your ally.
Add an element of immediate reward to habits that have delayed results. For example, create a savings account for buying things you really need. And every time you refuse an unnecessary purchase, transfer the amount saved to this account. The pleasure of the growing amount will reinforce your habit of wise spending.
One of the most pleasant feelings is the feeling of progress achieved. Any visualization helps track progress - crosses on the calendar, a graph in the app, a series of photos on social networks. A habit tracker, in addition to the feeling of satisfaction from the progress achieved, also becomes an incentive to continue. The circle of habit formation is closed.
Try going the other way and come up with a “punishment” for not following your habit. For example, agree with a friend on a fine for skipping a workout.
What to do if you had to skip a required action?
It is impossible to be perfect in everything. Sooner or later, an emergency situation will arise when you will not be able to follow a habit. Try to follow a simple rule: never miss twice. No one can be perfect, but you must try to avoid a second miss. It is not the first miss that destroys a habit, but the series of misses that follow the first. Missed once - an accident. Missed twice in a row - the beginning of a new habit.
You will find many more useful examples, inspiring stories and specific advice in the book by James Clear “Atomic Habits: How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones”, which we sincerely recommend to you.