LIFESTYLE: THE HABIT OF DEVELOPING A HABIT.

  THE HABIT OF DEVELOPING A HABIT.

Yes!!! it's a new semester, if you failed or passed last semester examination. For some, it's too early to know, all the same it's time for a fresh start and a great way to that is by developing better habits.

Habits are the sh*ts you do consistently. Remember that word we'll need it later, well if I were you I would find a dictionary and look up a better definition. moving on, (no time). 

We mostly hear about bad habits all the time which are so hard to break, but I've not heard of a good habit before have you?

I don't think so. a very good example of a bad habit is dragging your feet on the ground while walking I know you still do that, (don't look so defensive) another bad habit which is common to virtually everyone is one you might not think of even though you're doing it right now, guessyou're reading with your eyes opendrops mic

Back to what I was talking about: good habits, you need them this semester if you're going to make the best out of it. The focus here is on reading every day.

Before you conclude on how impossible it is, why not think of how hard it is for you to stop biting your nails before you underestimate the power of consistency. All you need is two hours a day or more if you really want a distinction cause last time I checked, it's worth some claps and a few handshakes on the day of your induction.

Consistency is the key, and you need only to do this for a certain amount of time then it becomes part of you. Just like the way you bite your nails and drag your feet everywhere you go.

With a small amount of initial discipline, you can create a new habit that requires little effort to maintain. Here are the tips for creating new habits and making them stick:

COMMMIT TO THIRTY DAYS  Three to four weeks is all the time you need to make a habit automatic. If you can make it through the initial conditioning phase, it becomes much easier to sustain. A month is a good block of time to commit to a change since it easily fits in your calendar.

MAKE IT DAILY: Consistency is critical if you want to make a habit stick. Activities you do once every few days are trickier to lock in as habits.

START SIMPLE: Dont try to completely change your life in one day. It is easy to get over-motivated and take on too much. If you wanted to study two hours a day, first make the habit to go for thirty minutes and build on that.

REMIND YOURSELF: Around two weeks into your commitment it can be easy to forget. Place reminders to execute your habit each day or you might miss a few days. If you miss time it defeats the purpose of setting a habit to begin with.

STAY CONSISTENT: The more consistent your habit, the easier it will be to stick. When cues like time of day, place and circumstances are the same in each case it is easier to stick.

GET A BUDDY: Find someone who will go along with you and keep you motivated if you feel like quitting. If you cannot find any, Im sure you can do it alone.

FORM A TRIGGER: A trigger is a ritual you use right before executing your habit. If you wanted to wake up earlier, this could mean waking up in exactly the same way each morning. 

REPLACE LOST NEEDS: If you are giving up something in your habit, make sure you are adequately replacing any needs youve lost. If watching television gave you a way to relax, you could take up meditation or reading as a way to replace that same need.

BE IMPERFECT: Dont expect all your attempts to change habits to be successful immediately. It took me four independent tries before I started exercising regularly. Now I love it. Try your best, but expect a few bumps along the way.

USE BUT: A prominent habit changing therapist once mentioned this great technique for changing bad thought patterns. When you start to think negative thoughts, use the word but to interrupt it. Im no good at this, but, if I work at it I might get better later.

REMOVE TEMPTATION: Restructure your environment so it wont tempt you in the first thirty days. 

ASSOCIATE WITH ROLE MODELS: Spend more time with people who model the habits you want to mirror. A recent study found that having an obese friend indicated you were more likely to become fat. You become what you spend time around.( apologies to those that are fat).

RUN IT AS AN EXPERIMENT: Withhold judgment until after a month has past and use it as an experiment in behavior. Experiments cant fail, they just have different results so it will give you a different perspective on changing your habit.

KNOW THE BENEFITS: Familiarize yourself with the benefits of making a change. Imagine getting better grades after improving your study habits.

KNOW THE PAIN: You should also be aware of the consequences. Exposing yourself to realistic information about the downsides of not making a change will give you added motivation.

DO IT FOR YOURSELF: Dont worry about all the things you should have as habits. Instead tool your habits towards your goals and the things that motivate you. Weak guilt and empty resolutions arent enough. Now, go out there and make me proud. I will be waiting.