Self-development through Discipline, the Art of Mastering Healthy Habits: Do’s, Don’ts, Tips and Tricks, Part 2
It’s all about habits this June. As we continue the discussion on habits, this post aims to help you formulate a good habit building/breaking strategy. Oh, and if you haven’t already, check out Part 1 of the series before you jump into the post.
Click to pin to Pinterest!
Recap
Introduction to habits
In the last blog post, we defined the term habits as repeated unconscious, seemingly automatic behaviours that are tied to a reward system and certain contexts (defined by time, location or a situation), according to authors Asaf Mazar (a behavioural scientist) and Wendy Wood (a social psychologist) in their book, Defining Habit in Psychology.
Becoming self-aware
The concept of self-awareness was also raised in Part 1, in the form of a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis exercise.
S and W address where you are now. While O and T showcase where you can improve by taking chances or overcoming risks, respectively.
What do you do well? And/or what assets do you have at your disposal?
Where do you need to improve? And/or what don’t you do well?
What external factors are present that can benefit you?
What external factors are hindering your development?
I urge you to check out Part 1 to see how I did my SWOT analysis.
Note, this exercise takes time, so don’t rush it.
Also, factor in your spirituality, emotions, physical state, relationships/interactions, environment (whether home, work or otherwise) and even your vision and goals. Being comprehensive pays off.
TIP #1
Enhance your analysis by getting an outsider’s perspective. The key here is to find the right person (or persons). Reach out to a friend or even your trainer to see if they have any additional information about you that could enhance your assessment. Quite frankly, sometimes we are unaware of some evident strengths and weaknesses we possess and the apparent opportunities or threats that face us.
Combining your SWOT analysis with an outsider’s perspective can give you a wealth of information.
Habit Formation continued…
Okay, using that information, think of some behaviours that inhibit the opportunities you listed and those that encourage your threats and weaknesses. Doing this will allow you to see which of your current habits are good and which are bad.
Now that this step is complete, let’s go back to the habit formula to see what needs to be adjusted.
Step #1 Think about the variables you can control.
- Assuming that we know our vision and goals, we have a fair idea of what we would like to do or become.
- We have also established repetition is key.
Therefore, the journey begins when we adjust our cues and rewards.
Step #2 Adjust your habit cues
Habit cues
The road to victory or demise starts with habit cues, also known as triggers or reminders. They relate to a thing, person, place or event that causes you to do a particular behaviour. Changing how you address these cues can help you form or break a habit.
TRICK #1
Find out what exactly are the cues that prompt a specific behaviour. For example, what generally makes you skip a workout? Or what makes you over-eat or drink? It could be distractions caused by social media, stress, lack of preparedness or a particular friend.
New habits require new cues to reinforce them. Over time, if the cue and behaviour are practised and executed together, a new habit can be developed.
To break bad habits, we need to disrupt the process. It sounds easy, but this requires a lot of willpower and discipline.
This willpower and discipline are products of clearly stated goals, self-awareness and preparation.
Cue adjustment do's, don'ts, tips and tricks
Ensure that your habit cues are aligned to your vision and goals.
Knowing why you want something and having a plan to achieve it is the best recipe for forming new habits and breaking old ones. Keep in mind, our goal at the end of the day is self-development.
Change your mindset.
It’s one thing to have a vision and goals, but what matters is if you are mentally and spiritually committed to actually going after that vision. As the saying goes, “your strongest muscle (and worst enemy) is your mind”. There was a reason why the behaviour occurred and became a habit. I touched on this in Building the Right Fitness Mindset: It’s All About the Fundamentals, Part 4.
Make it mindful rather than mindless.
Whether it’s forming a new habit or breaking an old habit, try to be more mindful of your actions. Start to pay attention when you are doing/not doing routine tasks to see how you react. Habits are unconscious, thus to break the cycle, we need to be more mindful. Once we spot the behaviour or the need to fulfil the act, take note of what your body, thoughts and feelings are at the time. Doing this can help enhance your habit building/breaking strategy.
Control your environment.
This extends to situations as well. Regulating what you see and hear goes a long way when it comes to habit formation. It’s the old environment that created the habit in the first place. Create an environment that promotes the changes you want. Adjusting what posters you have up, where you do certain tasks, or your route to a destination are environmental factors that directly influence your habit building/breaking strategy. For example, if you want to quit grabbing a snack after lunch because passing by the vending machine triggers a need to snack, either change your route or change the snack.
Use existing habits to build new habits
For most persons, certain tasks rarely change; hence use this to your advantage. Getting up triggers several activities during your day, such as eating breakfast, which triggers brushing your teeth, which then triggers showering, then work, etc. Thus, tack on some new habits by aligning them to cues that come naturally. For me, to get in my morning workouts, I linked the cue of getting up to getting dressed in workout gear.
Make your cellphone work for you and not against you.
Cellphones, or more so what they are used for, can help or hinder the habit formation process because they have become a large part of our lives. Use this to your advantage. Set reminders, get a tracker and even take notes.
Take baby steps.
A lot of research and personal experience have shown that building and breaking habits take time. Life, in general, is complex and dynamic; hence incremental adjustments have proven to be more sustainable. Runners are not made overnight, nor is a six-pack, then we can not expect a 10-year habit to be gone in a day; it takes work.
Find the strategy (or strategies) that work for you.
Not all behaviours require the same approach to change. We all live different lives and have different experiences. Be realistic as well. Setting realistic expectations makes for a better plan of attack.
Build in a consequence system.
This is a personal strategy I use when I am trying to enforce a fitness habit. It also complements my reward system. If I do something, then the reward is there, but if I don’t, I have a consequence. Sometimes the consequence is no movie-time or no snack; it depends.
Get support.
I am an avid believer of buddy systems. Whether it’s a relative, friend, partner or trainer, having company or having someone to check in on you and your progress is always good.
Do not limit your research on the topic.
There are several strategies for building habits and breaking old ones. Online resources, books, seminars or seeking professional advice is always recommended.
Plan, plan, plan.
When it comes to forming habits, you need a well-thought-out plan of attack. Our bodies are in auto-pilot mode when it comes to certain behaviours. Hence to break that cycle, we need to strategize properly. This is where all the do’s, don’ts, tips and tricks come in and the information you gathered from other sources. As well as further steps to ensure that you execute the behaviour. These include acts such as meal prep, selecting and laying out your clothes in advance, weekly schedules or setting waking and sleeping alarms well in advance.
Take action! Try it for a week and write down how you feel. At the end of the week, go back to your notes and use them as motivation to keep going.
Step #3 Set habit rewards
Rewards drive habits. The more rewarding a behaviour is, the stronger the habit!
Instagram versus a 1-mile run or watch a full season of a series versus 20 burpees? What’s the average person’s choice based on these options? It is complicated because both options for each scenario have rewards that we value in some way. If we do the maths right, we can have both; it just requires a little compromise.
How? It is simple, each of the more favourable options (in this case, Instagram and the series) can be rewards for performing the workouts. The key is balance.
Yes, a long-term vision is great, but the process to get there needs to be encouraged and what better way than a good ole prize. Hence, immediate incentives are also needed.
TIP #2
Ensure that the habit reward positively enriches your life. Make sure everything ties back in the end; whether it adds to your self-care routine or your workout wardrobe, ultimately, it should drive you to do the act again and again.
TRICK #2
Set realistic rewards. Remember, the habit is a routine task you are repeating often enough for it to stick. Rewards don’t have to be lavish, keep it simple.
DO #1
Just like habit cues, plan your rewards. In the end, you should have a detailed list of the associated cues, habits and rewards.
Step #4 Repeat, repeat, repeat = Habit
Practice makes it stick; need I say more.
5 Habits formulas examples
To help get the ball rolling, here are five habit formulas and actionable tips and/or tricks you can use to get started. (Click the arrow to access the info.)
CUE (TIP/TRICK): Wake up (Get dressed as soon as you wake up or even set your alarm to get up earlier to accommodate a workout.)
ROUTINE: Workout
POSSIBLE REWARD: More energy everyday
CUE (TIP/TRICK): Alarm or reminder (Set an alarm to alert you when you should take a break.)
ROUTINE: Stand or walk
POSSIBLE REWARD: Looking outside or a quick chat with a friend
CUE (TIP/TRICK): Hunger or stress (Limit how many snacks you have access to.)
ROUTINE: Eat healthy
POSSIBLE REWARD: Feeling good
CUE (TIP/TRICK): Bedtime (Allocate some me time for self-reflection.)
ROUTINE: Meditation
POSSIBLE REWARD: Healthy mind
CUE (TIP/TRICK): Shower (Research proper items and/or methods that work for your skin.)
ROUTINE: Skincare routine
POSSIBLE REWARD: Better skin
These are just some examples of making the habit formula work for you. Like I mentioned earlier, it works best if it’s tailored to your lifestyle.
Takeaways
Being fit (mind, body and soul) requires a little more than motivation. In my opinion, the next best thing is habits, especially on difficult days when you just don’t want to do it.
DO a self-awareness test.
DON’T limit your knowledge on the matter.
TIP, give it time.
TRICK make the habit formula work for you.