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Same time, same place, sandwich… Are you already looking to see if it is lunchtime? I’m not talking about food this week. I’m talking about habits. More specifically, I’m talking about a way to leave unhealthy habits behind and add good, healthy practices to your day in a way that they last through the honeymoon phase and become habits that last a lifetime.

Changing a habit is hard. Barriers constantly arise and it always comes back to “how are we going to react to those barriers”. We do not rise to the level of our goals but fall to the levels of our systems. What systems do you have in place?

In my ongoing search to find ways to help clients set up their systems, I came across a book called “Force of Habit - Unleash Your Power by Developing Great Habits, by Tamsin Astor PHD. The theory is that all it takes is the “Three S’s” to cultivate a new habit

1. Same time

2. Same place

3. Sandwich

When you are starting a new habit, you are going to do it at the same time, in the same place and you are going to sandwich the habit in-between two other habits that you do naturally (or come extremely easy to you).

My example: Trying to build ‘me’ time into my day.

1. Same Time: Morning

2. Same Place: My porch

3. Sandwich: My new habit of daily ‘me’-time gets sandwiched between walking the dog (which the dog will always remind me) and the kids waking up.

The bottom line is that the walk needed to become non-optional (no excuses or the puppy has an accident) and then I’m already up so that makes the porch/me-time happen and The kids always start stirring around 7:30, so this becomes the other part of the sandwich that inevitably happens.

Pen to paper time: Think through a specific habit change that you have been contemplating and apply the “Three S” equation to it. Brain dump any ideas and work through them until you find a fit that works.

I always say to” keep your eyes on your own paper”. To clarify that, I mean don’t judge yourself by what others are doing. It is not only okay but smart to notice what other people are doing so that you can get ideas and decide if they are right for you. The author of Force Of Habit emphasizes this by suggesting that you recognize what other people are doing when they are successful with habit change and he simplifies it as a list:

1. Replace unhealthy habits with healthy habits

2. Have a social support and accountability

3. Let go of who you THINK you should be

4. Let go to something bigger than yourself (God, the Universe, Collective Energy, etc.)

5. Remember that shifts take time, be gentle and kind to yourself especially when there are relapses.

Analyze the list and see what stands out to you. You may find another tool to add to your healthy lifestyle tool chest.

Resources:

www.facebook.com/houselifestyles

www.healthaccountabilitycoach.com