Some people are incredibly adept in implementing and maintaining new habits. Whether they want to improve their diets, get more exercise in, or focus on their mental health, these individuals quickly restructure their lives to unfailingly include beneficial daily practices. The good news is that with the right tactics, anyone can become effective at creating positive and life-affirming habits. Following are three strategies that will help the brain quickly and permanently adopt important lifestyle change.
1. Be Consistent
It takes time to implement a new habit. People who are trying to change their ways should not expect their new activities and behaviors to become automatic overnight. In fact, research shows that it takes approximately 66 days for a new habit to become so deeply ingrained that it becomes ordinary and second nature. As such, any new and significant change in everyday behaviors requires both diligence and consistency. Expecting anything less than a reversion to old behaviors when focused efforts cease before at least 66 days have passed will likely lead to disappointment.
2. Maintain The Right Company
It's often important for people to change their environments and their social circles before radically attempting to alter their lives. A person who wants to give up smoking or excess drinking, probably shouldn't continue hanging out at the local pub. When people want to focus on healthy eating and general fitness, spending more of their time at the gym or in other settings that are filled with like-minded people who possess similar goals and interests is essential. When people with common motivations group themselves together, they provide strong support systems and help keep one another on track.
3. Start Small
Far too many people aspire to implement radical and widespread life changes at one time. Unfortunately, biting too much off at once often proves both disheartening and overwhelming. When there are several bad habits to eliminate, and multiple positive changes to implement, it's generally best to prioritize these and then work on just one or two at a time. According to research, the likelihood of maintaining a new habit is 80 percent when just one habit change is implemented at a time. This gives people the chance to focus on clear and specific goals, and to achieve small, measurable successes that ultimately build their confidence. As confidence and willpower increase, new goals can be set, new life changes can be implemented, and new successes can be attained at an entirely feasible and manageable pace.
