Six easy strategies to form a new habit

T-Mag Thursday 31/October/2019 08:53 AM
By: Times News Service
Six easy strategies to form a new habit

We assume it’s a good habit you’re trying to instill. Some people are inherently good at making their resolutions stick (yes, we’re a wee bit jealous of these rare individuals too), but for most others who struggle to build a habit, here are six things you can do.

1 Visualise the result
If you want to form a habit, it must be for a result you desire. See yourself achieving the result. It’ll motivate you to stick to the habit.

2 Start easy
Don’t begin with something that you know you won’t be able to achieve. Instead, set short-term achievable goals. For example, if you are looking at going to bed early on weekdays, start with targeting every alternate night. It’ll be easier on your body (and mind). Once that becomes a habit, you can increase the frequency.

3 Plan ahead
Don’t let impulse get the best of you. A perfect stretch of sticking to a habit can be ruined just because we end up acting on impulse. If you suspect that you’ll fall prey to a ‘fast food for lunch’ invite when you’ve decided to eat healthy meals at work, have an excuse ready before the plan is thrown at you.

4 Have a backup
Alright, so unavoidable situations are inevitable. But every time you take a fall, give yourself the benefit of a backup plan. It’s a nicer version of a punishment. If a daily jog is the new habit you’re trying to build upon and you end up missing a few days, instead of giving up the habit completely, increase your jogging time when you go next. It’ll give you the satisfaction that you’re back on track.

5 Identify best times
Everybody goes through those times when they just want to give in. Let’s say you’ve decided on including a little meditation to your routine. Slot it at a time when you know you’ll not be tempted to dismiss it. If you aren’t a morning person, don’t keep it for that time of the day as you’ll want to swap ‘meditation time’ with ‘extra snooze time’.

6 Reward at each milestone
Even your short-term achievements deserve a pat on the back. Every few days, review how well you’ve been able to stick to your new habits and reward yourself. Acknowledge the fact that you’re on the right path.

Antara Bose is a model turned fashion and beauty consultant. A popular blogger, anchor, and voice over artist, she maintains a deep connection with the local fashion industry and is passionate about discovering and celebrating aspiring talent as well as promoting animal rights. For fashion updates with a side of humour and sarcasm follow Antara on instagram: @antarabose and on Facebook: Antara Bose.