Once you have selected your new healthy or lifestyle habits, it is time to do them and keep doing them. Starting your new habits is the easiest part. It is sticking to them day after day that is the biggest challenge. Here are some tips for making your habits stick.

Why it is Hard to Stick to a Habit

First of all, you should understand exactly why it can be difficult to actually stick to a habit. Creating a new habit is truly the simple part. Sometimes, it is just a matter of not having the right motivation, but in other cases, the problem is in the habit itself.

If your habit is too difficult, you probably won’t stick to it very long. See if there is a way to simplify it.

A habit you can stick to is one you are able to enjoy. Even habits like exercising can be enjoyable if you choose the right one. Hate running? Then do something else! Find something you enjoy, this will make the habit ten times easier.

You need to fit it into your lifestyle. Just because someone else is starting a habit where they get up every day at 3 am doesn’t mean that is going to work for you. It needs to be attainable.

Find Your Purpose

When you are still in the process of choosing a new habit, make sure you understand why you are doing it. You really need to understand the purpose and how it will benefit you in order to stick to it. This means analyzing the habit, how it will change your life or routine, and what the lasting benefits can be. Sure, you want to make your bed every morning, but do you know why it is important to you? This is what you need to focus on first in order to have a habit you can stick with.

I will give you a great example for me... A couple of years back I had some pretty serious health problems. I was over 300 lbs and having some issues. My doctor gave me a simple choice to lose weight, eat better, or die. As you probably guessed, I chose to lose weight and eat better. Anyway, I had a purpose. I will be honest, it was not hard to change my eating habits after that doctor visit (and subsequent hospital stays).

Remember Only One at a Time

This is something you will hear repeated over and over again regarding forming new habits, because of how important it is. Start with just one new habit at a time! Once you feel comfortable and confident in your new habit, you can then start adding more to it. When we look at my example of losing weight and eating better, that is exactly what I did. I made 1 small change. I found a simple way to make a smoothie (with fresh fruit and lettuce) and began to have that for lunch instead of a sandwich. After a couple of weeks of consistently doing that, I began to have a smoothie for breakfast too. Once I had gotten into that habit, I began trying to eat better at night and not go out as much. You see, I did one thing at a time to improve. Not all at once.

Commit to a Short Period of Time First

It helps to track your habit and try to pick a short period of time where you will do it every day. A good way to start is by doing it for 30 days, though some you might want to extend to 90 days as this is the amount of time it really takes for a new habit to take effect.