Habits are the essence of our personality. Everything we do, from which foot we use to get out of bed, to how we greet our coworkers is just a habit that we have.

However, habits are not just limited to the way we perform a particular task, they also include how we react to events and eventually make decisions. You can change all of your habits if you want to, and in my opinion being in control of your habits is the essence of personal growth.

Changing a habit is easy, you simply have to do something in a different way than usual. Sticking with it, though, is another story.

How many times have you said “From tomorrow I’m going to change that!”, but then, when tomorrow came, nothing changed?

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to solve that problem and create habits that stick.

I have managed to go through various habit changes in the past few years, some of them I’ve also documented here on this bog. The following is a list of what I have learned through my experience.

  • Change one habit at a time. In some situations like with new year resolutions, we’re tempted to change many aspects of our life That’s not going to work. The reason is that it’s very unlikely that we can go through the initial resistance and change many habits at the same time without feeling overwhelmed. Instead, a better approach is to focus on just one single habit at a time until it sticks with you. If you want a number, 21 to 30 days are usually the recommended time for forming habits.
  • Be specific. The more specific you are, the most likely you’ll be able to change your old habit. For example, “from tomorrow I’m gonna be healthy” doesn’t mean anything per se. If you really want to be healthy, a better approach would be to define exactly what you mean by being healthy, and then write down the exact steps you are going to take to get there. For example, you may plan to do exercise for 30 minutes per day, or to avoid eating junk food between meals.
  • Simplify. Don’t try to run for one hour if until yesterday the only kind of exercise you did was jumping on your couch celebrating your team’s victory, that’s not a smart thing to do. Instead, do something simple, something that you can’t fail at. Following the previous example, you could try to run just 10 minutes per day, and then improve from there. Don’t be afraid of doing too little initially, taking small steps and improving gradually is often the best way to reach a goal.
  • Define the rules first. Before you start to change your habits, it’s a good idea to define some rules. For example, if your habit involves running outdoors each day for one month, what would happen if it rains? Could you run on a treadmill at the gym or at your home? Try to answer these questions before starting your habit change. As a personal example, when I went through my waking up at 5 am experiment, I allowed myself to sleep more on thursday. The reason is that on Wednesday night I had some activities that I wanted to do, so I decided in advance that Thursday was my day off.
  • Be focused on it. Although you are only implementing one habit per month, you should be highly focused on it. Don’t allow yourself to procrastinate on it. If possible, resolve to work on your habit first thing in the morning where or when you have more energy and concentration. If you are having difficulties being focused on your goal, consider simplifying it even more.
  • Track your results. It’s a good idea track your progress. You are probably going to find some resistance in the first few days or weeks, but having someone else to share your experience with will be of great help. Start a blog or join a forum where you can interact with like-minded people. Sharing your result is a great way to gain extra motivation and support, because you can often find other people who have already experienced what you are trying to achieve.

    • If you follow these tips, it will be easier to create habits that stick.

    Habits that you can implement

    If you already know what you want to change, go for it, but if you are looking for some inspiration, the following is a list of habits that you can try. Remember, nothing has to be forever, so don’t be afraid to try any of them for just 30 days even if you don’t plan to continue with them.

  • Become an early riser. How does the idea of having three extra hour per day where you can work on your personal projects sounds like? You can get all that extra time by waking up early in the morning. Start by switching your alarm clock back a few minutes every day, and continue until you reach your goal.
  • Exercise regularly. Health should always be the first thing on your priority list. If you don’t exercise regularly, this one is a must. Not only exercise improves your health, but it also improves your ability to concentrate and perform at your job.
  • Check your email only twice per day. If you currently check your email multiple times per day, consider switching to just one or two times per day. Doing so will free a lot of time and clarity – time that you can use to do more important things or simply relax.
  • Read. A good habit to develop is to read 30 minutes per day, or one book per week. Reading just one book per week means that in one year you’re going to read more than 50 books. You’ll be an expert by that time!
  • Write 1 article per day. If you are a blogger, you can resolve to write one article per day. It’s true that it takes a lot of time to write one article every day, but it’s probably the best thing you can do if you want to make a difference.

    • Conclusion

    You can adopt or change any habit If you want to. I hope this guide will be helpful and that you can use it to achieve great things in your life. Remember that success is only a matter of mindset and persistence, and knowing how to change your habits and stick with them is one of the best ways to develop a successful mindset.