New Year - New Habits - Boundless Bliss

2020 here we are! It’s just unreal how fast the years fly by. While the start of a new year is a great time to make “resolutions,” I challenge you to make lifestyle and habit changes instead. Don’t think of those “resolutions” as resolutions, think of them as habits you want to instill into your life. Instill lifestyle changes that you carry with you year to year. With this mentality the probability that you will continue those resolutions turned habits is increasingly higher, because you have programmed them into YOUR life.

New Habits

What do you want to change in your life? Do you want to add something in or maybe you want to stop doing something. Whatever it may be, it can be changed into a lifelong habit that will keep you moving and going year after year. After all isn’t that what we aim for in life; moving year in and year out as the best person we can be? I know I do.

Step 1:

Write down your aspirations, dreams, goals or what you consider a resolution.

There is no need to get formal here. Grab a notebook or sheet of paper and just spill everything you are thinking of out. Use bullet points, sentences, one word liners, whatever you are thinking about, jot it down.

Step 2:

Categorize all of those thoughts, words, dreams and goals.

There are a few ways you can do this. One way is by using different color highlighters for different categories. Another way is to grab a fresh sheet of paper and making category lists.

Step 3

Develop concrete habits

You have category lists made from the previous step. Now lets turn those lists into concrete (more formal) habits. Each list may have more than one habit pending how many ideas and thoughts you have. Now write the concrete habits you come up with down.

Concrete habits should be specific and really have a call to action. They should not be vague.

Step 4

Break down each habit into more bite size pieces

Pending the nature and complexity of the habits you wrote down in step 3, you may need to break these habits into smaller pieces. These smaller pieces are what I like to call habit pieces. You may not need to break down the habits though. Really it is all dependent on you, and what works best for you.

The smallest of habits can be broken into tiny habit pieces if you need them to be. Just the same, the biggest of habits don’t have to be broken into smaller habit pieces if you don’t need them to be. It’s up to you and what works best with your lifestyle.

Step 5

Pair the habits with things you already do

I would love to take credit for this step, but unfortunately I can’t. This idea/step came from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. I would highly recommend this book. It has a wealth of information when it comes to maintaining and breaking habits.

The idea here is to pair a new habit with a habit you already have. For example: I have a habit of eating breakfast every morning (most of us do), and wanted to get myself on a consistent schedule of taking my vitamins/supplements. The new habit I was trying to start was taking vitamins/supplements, and I paired it with a pre-existing habit of having breakfast. Therefore every time after I eat breakfast I take my vitamins/supplements. Pairing “taking my vitamins/supplements” with a habit I already had REALLY helped me be consistent and take accountability for the new habit.

Call to Action: For each of the concrete habits you wrote in step 3 write down a few already existing habits you can pair the new habit with.

Step 6

Start by pairing “bite size pieces”/steps of habits with the things you already do

If you broke down your concrete habits into smaller habit pieces, start pairing/implementing these pieces with habits you have already (habit pairing). If you didn’t break down your concrete habits, and you didn’t identify numerous pre-existing habits to pair it with you can skip to step 7.

Multiple Pre-Existing Habits: If you identified numerous pre-existing habits to pair your new habit with, start with what seems most logical to you. Maybe your first try will be a success, or maybe you realize it’s not logical at all and you need to pair your new habit with a different pre-existing habit.

Multiple Habit Pieces: Start with one piece and keep adding them on when the prior piece feels comfortable and solid.

Step 7

Fully Implement Goals

You’ve tried all the pairings with pre-existing habits and added all the habit pieces in. You are there and now you just need to keep being consistent. Keep doing what you are doing and hold yourself accountable. Sooner than later the habit you just developed will become mindless. You will just do it without having to consciously think about doing it.

Example:

Concrete Habit: Taking Vitamins/supplements everyday.

Habit Pieces: None

Habit Pairing Options:

After breakfast
When I take the rest of my medication
When I turn my alarm off in the morning

Habit Pairing: After trying out all options, I chose to pair the habit of taking vitamins/supplements with after I eat breakfast. I chose this because any sort of medication tends to make me nauseated and having a full stomach helps.

Habit: I take my vitamins/supplements everyday after breakfast.

Closing Thoughts

Habits are hard to develop, however with the steps above, habits should be easier to implement, and stick better with your life. They will become things you do without consciously thinking about doing it.

You see, what works for you likely doesn’t work for the next person, and so on. This is why there isn’t a specific cookie cutter of do this and that and that. Follow the steps and do and implement what’s best for you. At the end of the day what’s best for you is more likely to become a lifetime habit, than following what someone else told you to do.

Take control of your life and seize the day everyday. Don’t let a day go by that you feel less than you should or are disappointed in yourself because you didn’t…You have this. Let our resolution be to make no more resolutions, and to only develop habits that make your life healthier professionally, personally and just all around.

Habits can be started and developed at any time. That’s the best part. You don’t have to wait for the “new year.” You can start habits for you at any time.

What habits are you going to instill in your life?