Do you have a routine that you want to stick to, but fail to do so?
Having trouble keeping up with your habits for a long time?
Looking for effective ways to achieve your goals in life?
In this article, we talk specifically about how to build good habits in simple ways.
Ready to dive in? Let’get into it!
Table of Contents
The definition of good habits is pretty simple. They are the small actions you do daily that help you become a better person in real life. For example, brushing teeth lets you maintain oral hygiene.
In fact, those are the things we do automatically without thinking, and they’ve always been with us since we were kids.
Building good habits leads to consistent behavior patterns that train your focus, conserve your energy, and let you plan your daily decisions effectively.
Habits matter more than occasional effort because they’re part of your identity and with you for the rest of your life.
Most people may assume they can’t stick to their habits because they’re lazy or lack a strong will.
They feel overwhelmed and give up early due to unrealistic goals and inconsistent schedules that demotivate them.
In reality, the problem isn’t you; it’s the system you create and follow.
The truth is, we shouldn’t focus on the main goal. We should prioritize the little, manageable acts that add up every time.
It’s totally fine to fail to continue your habits sometimes, because unexpected things happen.
And here’s the rule that you should follow: Never miss a routine for more than one day. It’s because that would affect your momentum.
Instead of trying so hard to pursue far-fetched objectives, let’s look at a series of light, actionable steps that will shift your perspective on habits.
It’s easier said than done when it comes to chasing your ideal life or dreams.
It doesn’t matter what your dream or goal is, such as starting a business or building a healthy lifestyle; it can be daunting when thinking about achieving them overnight.
Truth be told, that’s impossible, and most people fail because they want fast results, rather than patiently waiting.
That’s why scale is important when starting a habit at the beginning stage.
Gradual change may seem slow at first, but a 1% improvement compounds over time and leads to a massive change.
On the other hand, the thought of sudden transformation often causes people throw in the towel at the beginning, because they want to see quick success without putting in effort.
Indeed, you should prioritize sustainability over speed, and determination and consistency are everything to achieving it.
To make your goals achievable, break them into manageable chunks and do them one by one. Believe it or not, you’ll be amazed by the results after that!
Rather than spending time talking about dreams or ambitions, start acting to build a lasting momentum. Motivation doesn’t come before doing something; it comes after.
Ever felt motivated and smooth to do a habit, such as reading a book, for the first 3 days, but gave up afterwards because motivation is plummeting?
That’s a common obstacle most people face, including myself, who’s been there before.
That means motivation no longer works in this situation. Instead, you should find out the friction and reduce it.
Indeed, decision fatigue and mental resistance are the blockades that make continuous routine harder.
Our brain is like a computer motherboard that connects to our body and controls our movements and emotions.
The brain instantly feels tired and asks a person to stop doing something when it becomes difficult over time.
Actually, there’s an easy solution to this obstacle: tricking your brain into treating the tasks you’re doing as easier ones.
The method is not rocket science. In fact, you just need to simplify your habit, especially at the start. Keep in mind that ease is not a shortcut. Instead, see it as a strategy.
The rule is pretty simple: start it in 2 minutes. Yeah, that’s it！
For instance, let’s say you want to read a 200-page book. Believe it or not, your brain starts to resist as soon as you see that thick book.
But if you apply the 2-minute rule, you can pass through your brain’s alert system. Then, you can gradually increase the duration to 5 minutes or more.
Instead of reading 50 pages a day, start small with maybe 5 pages. That’s how it works!
Treat it like a ladder that goes upward, without looking back, and that’s what progress looks like, even though it’s slow.
As a result, focusing on consistency over intensity is key to easing the mental load that adds pressure to the brain.
Linking a new habit with your ongoing routine is another way to achieve consistency, and that’s what we call ‘habit stacking’.
When there’s a connection between a new habit and a routine that you’ve been doing for a while, it makes the schedule predictable and smooth, one following another.
That makes it easier to repeat the routine systematically, without feeling stressed.
For example, you’re used to making your own breakfast in the early morning. spend 10 minutes reading a book. Then, meditate for another 10 minutes after reading.
Do you see how they seamlessly connect? And yes, that’s how habit stacking actually works in real life.
That said, your mind won’t be able to notice you’re doing a new habit, when it’s done, followed by your existing behaviors, helping you reduce mental load.
Did you know that your surroundings can impact your habit-building process?
Most of the time, it isn’t merely about self-control when we talk about developing good habits. And it’s not your fault when you can’t keep up with a routine.
In fact, the environment is one of the critical variables that affects our habit-building process.
So, removing obstacles that hinder your routine helps a lot.
Let’s say you want to concentrate deeply on writing in your room without getting distracted. You should keep your phone far away from the work desk, so it’s hard to reach while writing.
Meanwhile, having cues in your environment helps you start doing a habit without friction.
For instance, always placing a book on your bed makes you read it, even though it’s only a few pages a day, before turning in. It just happens naturally.
If you’re aiming for building long-term consistency, head back to your living environment and adjust it further to achieve great outcomes.
Here’s the truth: when we’re literally waiting for a perfect moment to do something, that’s going to take forever.
And, we are probably not going to execute the task, because we never feel ready.
Perfectionism is something we need to avoid at all costs because it causes us to procrastinate for ages, without taking any action.
Instead of seeking perfection in executing your habits, observe progress constantly to see if there is any improvement needed. Indeed, getting 1% better is more than enough.
It’s totally okay to get messy or feel tired sometimes throughout the routine, because falls and rises are common. That’s what we call life!
The most important thing is to make progress, even if it’s tiny, and never give up, when you don’t see any great outcomes at first.
Here’s the tip: keep going, and success will come to you eventually.
Some people think that building a good habit takes only a few days to weeks to get used to the tempo. The fact is, that’s not realistic at all.
In reality, there isn’t a single correct or fixed duration for successfully maintaining habits. People have different schedules and paces, so it really depends.
Hence, don’t compare your time and effort wth others, because that will demotivate you and hinder progress.
Here’s the important advice to take note of: instead of thinking about how long it takes, shift your focus to stability and repetition.
This may seem hard to believe, but an action that you do consistently, regardless getting it perfect, makes you a better person.
One day, you’ll realize, ‘Hey, I can do it without even thinking, that’s the moment the progress you’ve made speaks for itself.
You don’t have to do things 100% right every day, and it’s actually impossible to have a flawless routine. Let it be imperfect, and that’s how habits work.
We are humans, and sometimes unexpected things come up out of nowhere. Because of that, we’ll miss habits we’ve stuck to.
The truth is, it’s totally normal to have missed days, and that’s part of habit formation.
Most people feel guilty and frustrated when they can’t perfectly keep up with their schedules. But don’t let that discourage you. That’s just a fear of falling behind that bothers you.
Here’s another simple rule that gives you relief: Never miss a habit for 2 days consecutively. Yes, because that kills momentum, and people eventually give up.
If you can follow that rule, you’re not failing. Instead, you’re on the right track.
It’s absolutely okay to have an inconsistent schedule, because up-and-down is common when building habits.
To be honest, hitting a perfect streak in your routine is not something feasible and realistic, and it will overwhelm you and put you on the verge of giving in.
Remember this: recovery speed > perfect streak length.
It’s already a win when you’re not quitting and returning to a habit, even if you don’t feel like doing it, and keep showing up, after things interrupt all of a sudden.
Adaptability is key to building good, consistent habits that work well. That means it’s not recommended to create a packed schedule.
You don’t have to fill up the timetable slot with your routine, because that will definitely stress you out. And you may feel demotivated when you can’t fulfill your routine or miss it.
As we discussed in the previous section, things often happen unexpectedly, such as revising the schedule due to some sudden activities or fatigue.
That’s the time when flexibility comes into play. Having some empty slots on the schedule is totally fine, and it’s a way for you to recharge or fill in other tasks when necessary.
That way, it’s no longer rocket science to get through imperfect days without feeling discouraged by creating a smooth, flexible system that lasts longer.
Here’s the fact: most people expect to be good at something quickly with only minimal effort. They immediately cut off the progress when they see no improvement.
And, the problems have always been the misunderstandings that make building habits seem challenging.
Here are some myths that we see commonly:
Willpower is a must for habit formation
Truth:
– We cannot solely focus on willpower because it is not stable and fluctuates.
– Instead, creating a suitable environment, a consistent system, and obvious cues that automate habits are key to success.
It’s considered a failure when we miss a day
Truth:
– Missing a day sometimes when doing a routine is normal, and do not break your progress. We should focus on long-term planning, not perfection.
Huge, dramatic changes within a short time are ideal
Truth:
– Little, incremental changes (1%) are effective and sustainable in the long term.
Focus on motivation over consistency
Truth:
– It’s easier to start a habit with motivation, but it’s inconsistent and will fade away gradually. You should focus on environments and systems to keep going.
One-Size-Fits-All Approaches are workable
Truth:
Methods that work for others may not do the same for you. Thus, finding the effective ones is crucial in maintaining your routine.
Overall, the success or goals we’ve dreamed of are built through repetition in habits. We get better and better when we keep executing, regardless of the results.
That’s how the compounding effect actually works, where every small step or improvement we make adds up, without needing motivation.
That means the process needs your patience and dedication, but it’s really worth the time and effort when we set a long-term vision and see it in a bigger picture.
We are what we repeatedly do in our daily lives. Thus, excellence is not about a huge, instant transformation, but about habits.
Want to change your life and achieve a goal that you’ve longed for? Let’s start by taking a small step today and see the big difference.
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