What new habit do you want to incorporate into your daily routine, but haven’t quite mastered it yet?
Recently, I was coaching a group of female business leaders on problem solving — one woman was frustrated that every night she gets stuck in the “scroll hole” on her phone; she would really prefer to be reading a few pages of a good book instead.
In this case, it is not about replacing a habit, but attaching another habit to an existing one.
Here was my advice:
✔️ Set a timer on your phone (10 minutes), and when it beeps, put the phone down.
✔️ She has a habit of telling herself, “a few more minutes of social media won’t make a difference,” but next thing she knows, 25 minutes has passed and it’s time to fall asleep. I asked if the book is right next to her on the night stand. She paused and realized that it’s on the opposite side of the room.
✔️Always, always, always set yourself up for success — so if you want to work out early in the morning, get your clothes & gym shoes set out the night before; it’s one less thing you have to think about.
✔️Now, link your new habit to an existing one. When you make your tea or coffee, listen to or say affirmations. Or every time you use the bathroom, do 10 push ups after.
Research has proven you’ll be more successful 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒾𝓉 when you link a habit to an existing habit - don’t make a new habit out of no where; link it onto one you already have.