How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolutions? Even though we are past the beginning of the year when a lot of us make goals, it’s not too late to think about how you can build habits for your well-being.
Every habit has a cue, a routine, and a reward. This loop becomes a habit when the habit begins to be associated with the reward. When we encounter the cue, we crave the reward.
Here are steps you can take to start building good habits:
- Identity the Cue, the trigger for the routine. For example, if you want to exercise regularly in the morning, your cue could be your alarm clock going off.
- Perform the Routine, a.k.a., the Habit, the certain thought, behavior, or emotion. Continuing with the example of exercising in the morning, your routine would be exercising.
- Get the Reward. This is the reason we do the routine. We encourage you to think of a healthy reward. For example, a reward for exercising could be a delicious breakfast.
Some habits I find useful and enjoy are getting 7- 9 hours of sleep, morning workouts, and checking-in with my soul.
For more tips, consider the following: Almost any behavior can be changed if the cue and the reward stay the same. Create accountability by asking for help from a buddy, posting your routine on social media, or using online accountability platforms such as StickK. Lastly, Believe that you can change, in moments you don’t feel like you can keep going, believe in a higher power, and expose yourself to the success stories of others.
References
Duhigg, Charles. “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business.” SAIS.
