Often the New Year is a chance for us to affirm what new habits we want to incorporate into our lives. But have we ever asked ourselves whether a new habit is right for us? Often we set ourselves new habits as we feel as though we should be eating healthier or we should be waking up earlier but is this habit really right for us?
Today I share with you 10 questions to ask yourself when it comes to setting yourself new habits so you can focus on the habits that align with you.
Question 1 - What small actions can I take right now?
When you set yourself a new habit, is there something that you can be doing right now that will help you on your new habit journey? By taking a very small action to beginning with will make starting and keeping up your habit more effective as you're not waiting for a Monday or for the clock to strike a certain time before you start.
Question 2 - Are you willing to commit to your new habit for a month?
If you are able to say to yourself, I will do this habit for a month, then you are likely to be doing habits that align with you as you're willing to commit. If you feel as though a month is too long to commit to this habit then it probably isn't the right one for you.
Question 3 - If you do this habit everyday, what change will you see?
You usually set yourself a habit because you want to improve something in your life. So make a note of what it is that you want to change about your everyday life. Is it to feel more awake? Is it to feel healthier and fitter? Then refer back to your habits and whether the ones you have set align with how you intend to feel.
Question 4 - Does your new habit have meaning in your life?
Your habit has to be more meaningful than what you are already doing otherwise you won't see the change you're longing for. For example: if you're exercising once a week but want to increase this to exercising every day then this will be more meaningful as you're bound to feel better for it than what you are already doing.
Question 5 - Does pain of not doing it outweigh the fear of doing it?
If you are thinking to yourself that you will be annoyed or disappointed if you don't keep up your new habit then it is worth keeping up. In order to progress and achieve the things you want to in life, you have to step outside of your comfort zone. Therefore, do the habit that scares you the most as it is likely to be the one that will change you.
Question 6 - Can you make your new habit a 2 - 5 minute action instead?
If committing to a large chunk of time is too demanding on your current lifestyle, find a way of fitting in your new habit even if it is just for 2 minutes. Doing something is always better than doing nothing.
Question 7 - When will you make time?
Following on from the above question, work out and make time in your weekly schedule when you will be doing your new habit. Going back to the exercising front, will you make time by exercising in the morning or late at night or perhaps on your lunch break? Finding time to do the things you want to do is easy. It's finding time for the things that you're not fully set on that is more difficult as you're more likely to put it off.
Question 8 - How will you hold yourself accountable?
Will you hold yourself accountable by telling a friend or family member? Will you start your new habit with someone with the same goal as you? Or perhaps you would prefer to set up an Instagram account to make yourself accountable by sharing your habit with a community that will support you.
Question 9 - Can you create yourself a small success journey?
Positive reinforcement is a game changer when it comes to setting new habits as we like to see instant results for the changes we are making to know that it is worth it. Therefore, is there a way that you can create small successes in your journey such as rewarding yourself for keeping to a habit for 1 week or a month? Is there a milestone you want to reach in your journey? If so, can you reward yourself for that?
Question 10 - How will you make sure you don't forget?
Make sure to write down your habit in the first instance as this will help you remember it a little bit more. But also try things such as setting an alarm for when you're going to complete your habit so you're reminded on the day.
There you have 10 questions to ask yourself every time you want to set yourself a new habit which will help you decide whether or not this new habit is for you. Start today by downloading your new template here to give you a helping hand. The questions have been referenced from the following article link.
This blog post is Day 24 out of the January Series where I will be uploading 31 blog posts to help you kick start your 2021 in the right way and to help you become the best version of you.
Leave a comment below if you have any blog post ideas that you would like me to do in the future
See you tomorrow for another blog post! :)
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