How To Create Good Habits| 3 Tips To Self Improvement Through Habit Change | End Bad Habits

You’re perfect, right?

I’m sure you have a life 100% full of GOOD habits.

Yeah……  

Well if you’re anything like me you’re constantly struggling with bad habits.

Poor eating choices, staying up too late, sleeping-in, not going to the gym, etc.

The list goes on.

So how do you replace bad habits with good habits?

How do you create systems in your life so you can slowly but surely point yourself int he right direction?

Well today I cover three tips on how to effortlessly create good habits in your life.

What are these three tips that you can follow? I’ve laid them out for you:

1st – Create An Accountability System 

There are different ways to establish accountability.  One simple method is to have an accountability partner.

An accountability partner is a person that you have to answer to regarding the new habit that you are starting.

Let’s say you want to get get in shape and start to regularly go to the gym.

Having an workout partner – aka accountability partner – that you meet there at 5:30 AM is strong motivation.  Most of us don’t want to let others down, and the way  we’ll feel if we fail to show up is a strong motivator.

This works just as well when you pay a coach – in fact I have a buddy who pays his trainer every month for 8 sessions.  Whether or not he shows – the trainer is paid.  My friend uses this as motivation – knowing he has to show up to the gym as well, he paid good money to be there.

In my case my accountability partner is my 10-year old son. We go to the gym every weekday morning to practice his swimming.

If I fail to wake him up he will not hesitate to question me. I have also given him my word we’ll do this and as a father I have to say this is REALLY strong motivation to crawl out of bed at 5:45 AM (even when our 1 month old baby has kept me up all night).

Leverage the power of an accountability partner.

A quick note on accountability partners – you want it to be a person that you would HATE to let down who can tell you how it is.  Be careful about friends or family members that won’t hold your feet to the fire!

2nd – Clear the Path Of Resistance

Obstacles that prevent you from implementing good habits need to be removed.

When we don’t want to do things – we find excuses not to!

Let’s take the gym example again:

If it’s difficult to find your gym clothes in the morning, there is a HIGH probability that you won’t go.

Clear the path – make achieving the goal (getting to the gym) as easy as possible.

Remove all potential obstacles so NOTHING is stopping you from getting to that goal.

Clearing the path for the gym can go something like this:

•  Set everything up the night before. Lay out what you are going to wear, what you’re going to change into after as well as all the things you will need (towels, toiletries and a change of clothes).
• Pack everything that needs to be packed- this includes your water, some energy bars and other equipment and tools that you may want to have with you.
• Place your car keys in a designated spot where they belong and won’t be moved.
• Fill up your gas tank after work or anytime it falls below 1/2 a tank.

By doing all of these you prevent yourself from feeling rushed and stressed in the morning. You can literally get up and go knowing you have everything you need.

Clearing the path eliminates excuses.

Do this – and you’re much more likely to act when you need to.

3rd – Give Yourself A Immediate Reward…..no matter how small!

The problem with promising oneself a major reward months away from the goal is that it does not sustain the motivation.

It is unlikely for you to keep on with the goal because the reward seems too far away.

Setting up a small reward that you can enjoy that very day provided that you’ve done your assigned task means you’ll be more likely to follow through.

For those who are trying to set up a gym habit, the reward can be something as simple as getting to spend 10 minutes in the hot tub right after the exercise session.

Seriously – this is my personal reward and has pushed me to venture out into the freezing cold winter mornings here in WI knowing that I can lounge un-molested for 15 minutes before starting my day.

Coffee, a donut, steak and egg breakfast, etc……..these small rewards add up and help us change.  Although be careful with too many donuts, that can be a REALLY bad habit in of itself 

Final tip – GET STARTED!

The sooner you apply these action steps, the sooner you will establish that good habit s to improvement in your life.