How to build Good habits effectively : The Ultimate Strategy 

BySOWMIYA S

Good habits are hard to build effectively but once they settle in they produce us long term benefits.

I’m sure most of us would have wanted to build good habits and might have found it difficult.But once we get into the flow,there is no stopping us from.

Understanding and learning how to build good habits effectively can help to improve our overall health and well being. Habits until they settle in will require some time to establish them.But once a habit is established it automatically become our lifestyle and provide us lifelong benifits.

So here is the Ultimate Strategy to build good habits effectively.

How to build Good habits effectively : The Ultimate Strategy 

People donot decide their futures,they decide their habits and their habits decided their future.

FM ALEXANDER

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Shift your identity 

Before going into the practical steps of building a good habit,let’s look at the mindset shifts.

Instead of focusing on the habit and building it,first we have to focus on changing our identity.Let’s say you want to swim daily and that is the new habit you want to establish.

You will have to shift your identity into a swimmer,even before you are one.

Saying to yourself that “I’m a swimmer” can immediately shift your identity to someone who has already established the habit of swimming.

Livifrotman

This then allows your brain to think about what would a great swimmer do.A great swimmer would go on for daily swimming laps.The swimmer might follow a healthy diet and so on.

So you have shifted your identity to behave like the person who is already a pro at the habit you are trying to establish.

Behave = Be + Have , ‘be’ the person in order to ‘have’ it. 

Start with a pretty small habit and increase it from there.

Our goal might be to run a marathon.But we cannot make it a habit to run daily marathons.A habit like running 5 kms per day can help us achieve our goal.

But we have to start small.We cannot go from never having run in our entire life to run 5 kms daily.

So we have to start small by walking first for a few days.Then running a km each day.Taking it slow from there.

naomi grace

Starting with a small action will help us continue doing it until the habit settles in,finally helping us achieve the goal.When we set a huge habit in the beginning,we are likely to give up.

Pick up the smallest habit that will require no motivation for you to complete it,then take it from there.

Be specific and make it obvious

With building new habits there should be specificity of what,where,when.We cannot randomly start a new habit by thinking random thoughts.

You cannot build a habit by being random.We have to be specific,

  • Where is the place you are going to carry out the habit 
  • When are you going to do the habit and duration 
  • What is the habit you are going to do 
Emma’s Essentials

So if you want to incorporate daily movement as a habit.

Instead of saying that ‘I will exercise’ , be specific 

I will do daily pull ups and laps around the park in the morning for an hour.

Being specific with your habits will help you to not worry about the details,you know what you are going to do,where and for how much time you will do it.

Now you just have to take action.

Stack them on top of one another 

Habit stacking is a technique that just helps you to attach a new habit to an already existing one.

As simple as it sounds,when you want to establish a new habit, attach it with a habit that you follow consistently already.

What this helps you is,it immediately gives the cue to your brain that once your already existing habit is completed you will have to get started with the new one. 

Pedro MyWorkMentor

Let’s say I want to establish a new habit of reading 10 pages everyday.I can attach this with the already existing habit of cycling.So everyday after cycling,I will read 10 pages of a non fiction book. 

Habit stacking is a special form of an implementation intention says James Clear. 

“Rather than pairing your new habit with a particular time and location, you pair it with a current habit.”

James Clear

Environment Cue

A recent research about Habit formation and change shows that when environments change, the cues activating habits may change also, with the result of disrupting habit performance

Environment really does affect us with building and following our habits.When you have a work desk,you have to practice to only work there.

If you mess up the work environment with a habit of scrolling at your work desk,it messes up your brain. 

When we train our brain to only work at our work desk,then our brain will automatically get into work mode when we sit at our desk.

Same way are habits highly functional with the environmental cues.

barre3

We might lounge,watch Tv and sleep on our sofa.Trying to establish a meditation habit in our sofa,might possibly not be a good idea.

So we can try to establish this new habit in a new environment,maybe our balcony.

Using these environmental cues this will signal our brain to immediately get into the habit once we are in the environment. 

Never miss a habit twice in a row 

Don’t worry about missing a day here and there,they don’t matter much in the long run.

No one is perfect and consistent in their life,without missing a spot.So dont go into the mentality of all or nothing.

Even if you miss your habit one day,dont be hard on yourself.

GrowthByVisuals

When trying to establish a new good habit,be prepared for what obstacles might come in the way.

If you want to establish a habit of going to a run every morning.The day before keep your running shoes ready.

This helps you to be prepared. Try your best to not miss a habit twice in a row.

Reward yourself 

Habits might feel boring and hard in the beginning, but once they are established they bring us rewards for a lifetime. 

So until they are established we have to reward ourselves.

Estefania Loret de Mola
We will stick to doing a habit when it feels attractive and when we get a reward for it. 

This could look like,getting a matcha on your way back home as a reward for completing your gym session. 

Rewarding ourselves can help us to stick to the habit until it is well established into our lifestyle.

Summary 

  1. Shift your identity to match the habit you want to build—become the person first.
  2. Be specific and stack habits onto existing routines.
  3. Use environmental cues to trigger consistent behavior.
  4. Stay consistent and reward progress—don’t miss habits twice and make them enjoyable to stick with.

So tell me in the comments below,what are the new habits that you are trying to establish ? 

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