The 6 steps to change habits permanently

I have always thought that the way to achieve any goal is like climbing a mountain.

To reach the top, explorers do not do it all at once but have to stop. They make several stops, and enjoy the journey, crossing bridges, feeling the fresh air, and contemplating the beautiful landscape.

change habits

Those who dare to climb require several tools, but to reach the top, the most important tool is simply to make the decision to take the first step. And you, are you ready to take the first step and improve your life?

The path to reach the highest peak of the mountain is not easy, but reaching the goal is possible.  The same goes for the process to change habits. Taking the first step is what you need to make a big change in your life.

But before it is important that you start changing your mind, in these 2 stages: 

1. Improve the image of yourself.

Believe it or not, the image that people have of themselves and the habits that they have created are closely related to each other. So when changing the image, it is obvious that habits will also.

Habits are like the clothes we wear: we have them because they dress our personality and participate in our self-image.

When we consciously and deliberately decide to start incorporating new and better habits,  our self-image abandons the old habits and transforms the personality. So it is important to incorporate new habits from a new personal image.

Believe in yourself, improve your perception of yourself. Visualize the person you want to become. Driveaway thoughts of defeat, and declare that you CAN DO A BIG CHANGE.

 

2. Think positive (but realistic). 

Thoughts have a lot of power in the unconscious; which directs most of our actions. The secret is to change the perspective of the action to be taken.

When a positive event in your life is about to occur, such as taking a flight to your most anticipated vacation, the mind is so powerful that it can make you wake up before the alarm goes off the day of that flight. Therefore it is necessary to think positively (but realistic) for our mind to give us that motivational boost.

Now you are ready to start a great change in your life, enjoy the journey.

 

The 6 steps to change habits

When you start something new it is normal that you do not know where to start. There are generally things you can do, things you want to do, and things you have to do. It is important to start at that point: the things you have to do.

These steps are a guide to what you have to do to change your habits. 

Step 1: Identify what you want to change in your routine 

 

Take a look around the world around you and change what you don't like

Recognizing what habits are hurting me to start changing. The best way to realize which habits you want to change is by writing them on paper (or digitally), it is a way that you do not forget them and that you also physically visualize outside of your head.

Take a few days ( I recommend a week) to write down those actions or attitudes that you consider you want to change. The purpose of the list is to do a global analysis.

Surely you have more than two things that you want to change, and then you have a long list. The problem with long lists is that they are NEVER DONE, they are like mazes of stress and you don't get anywhere with them.

So divide your list into several small lists. For example, take the list of 20 things to change and divide it into 4 lists of 5 things to change. Yes, it is true that you have the same volume, but starting with a small list motivates you because you will see much more progress.  

If you already have that shortlist, change the sentences on purpose (writing what you want to achieve) and in the present tense.

Why?

Because it is a strategy to take action in the present, the future is uncertain but today we have full control to act. For example:

• « I drink more soda than water»   -> “ Today I drink enough water»
• "I do not exercise at all" -> "Today I begin to exercise"
• "I go to the office without breakfast" -> "Today I have a healthy breakfast before leaving"

Here is my small list as an example.

Separate or underline with some color the habits to change that has to do with hydration, diet, and exercise (I put them in bold in my list to make it visible).

At the moment I will be focusing only on eating habits and starting exercise. But remember that the method of replacing an unhealthy habit with a good one is the same for any type of habit.

The list you just made includes all those habits that you want to change, so now they are goals. 

More article: A simple strategy to combat stress and 4 habits that accumulate it (without realizing it)

 Step 2: Make your ULTRA-SPECIFIC goals

The more the obstacles are divided, the easier they are to overcome

Up to this point, we have a shortlist of purposes (goals). Now, take just one goal from the list that you want to start with.

Try to see that goal as a path in which to reach you require achievable short goals;  that is, it turns every step into a goal.

Why do so many goals instead of one big one?

Because it is much easier to achieve a small goal than a large one. In fact, a well-planned goal is half the way forward.

How can I divide the goal?

Very easy, make your goal ultra-specific.

When the goals to be achieved are ULTRA-GENERAL instead of being ULTRA-SPECIFIC, it is much more difficult to achieve the objective.

And what happens if the goal is not reached? ... We feel a defeat (even if we make progress) and we give up on continuing.

This is why it is so important to be ULTRA SPECIFIC with goals

For example:

• "Today I drink enough water"
• "Today I start to exercise"
• "Healthy breakfast today"

They are excellent goals but they are NOT SPECIFIC, we must go even further:

• "Every two hours I have a glass of plain water"
• "Every the day I wake up 15 minutes early to go running 10 minutes"
• "Before leaving home I have a fruit smoothie"

These goals are ULTRA-SPECIFIC and best of all, they are REACHABLE.

It's up to you to make the list of habits you made in the previous step, break it down into smaller, ULTRA-SPECIFIC goals. Make your goals easy.

If you don't know-how, these questions can help you:

1.      What specific and simple part can I start doing right now?

2.      What action would be easier for me to start with?

3.      At what time of day (time) will I be performing this action?

 

In this way, in addition to making your goal more attainable, you are giving a solution proposal to achieve the change inhabit.

Remember that the ultra-specific goal must be achievable for you, this means that too easy to do, no matter what a small advance, because it is the beginning to take the second step. Make it so easy that you can't say no

Easy goals do not depend on your daily motivation, nor do they require great effort.

For example: instead of starting with 30 minutes of running, start with just 10 minutes of walking or jogging. Then, once the action is established, you can increase little by little.

How many goals on my list should I start with?

Every person is different, but I advise you to start with one goal at a time. This way you will have much more concentration to achieve it.

When you master it or the effort to carry it out diminishes, it is time to propose a second ultra-specific goal. 

Step 3: Create an action plan 

A goal without a plan is just a wish

Up to this point, we have: ultra-specific goals, which were written by answering the questions in step 2.

Each person is different and has different routines, therefore I cannot give you the solution to your problem but I can help you to design an action plan to solve the problem.

• What is the problem? That action (habit) that I want to change in my life
• What is the solution? Make a change proposal
• How?…

Easy! Just design your action plan, make your own strategy to achieve that goal.

If you set yourself those ultra-specific goals, they are already proposed solutions to your problem. But it's not enough.  Now we have to create a plan to achieve the action that we set out to do.

For example:

• Goal: "Every six hours I have a glass of plain water"
• Action plan:  “ I will have a bottle at my fingertips to drink plain water»

• Goal: "Every day I wake up 15 minutes early to go running for 10 minutes"
• Action plan:  "I prepare my sports clothes the night before to go running for 10 minutes in the morning"

• Goal: "Before leaving home I take a fruit smoothie"
• Action plan: "The fruit is ready to be liquefied in a container in the fridge"

And so for all your ultra-specific goals.

If you look, to design the action plan it only takes CREATIVITY, many times we have a lot of imagination to make excuses, we are also to achieve the goal.

Think about the path you can take to reach your goal.

I recommend that you start with a single action plan, for a single habit, and then increase the intensity or number of habits.

Step 4: Choose a reminder

 

 Be sure to make your goals visible

In your daily life, you are already making many habits (good or bad), the point is that this activity is preceded by a reminder, which can be an image, a sound, an object, etc.

For example:

•  Action out of habit:  Before leaving the house I turn off the lights

What reminds me of doing this?

•  Take the house keys

Another example:

•  Action out of habit: Like chocolate in the office

What reminds me of doing this?

• See the chocolates on my desk

So for every action, there is something that triggers it. We use this same principle to incorporate a new activity into your life.

The reminder is essential to create new habits if you have an effective reminder you will be able to establish a new habit in your routine more easily because there will be no way to forget it.

How do I choose a reminder for my ultra-specific goals?

Reminders can be actions you are already doing out of habit, or anything else that visually reminds you to carry out your action plan.

Do you remember the previous examples?

• Goal: "Every four hours I have a glass of plain water"
• Action plan:  " I will have a bottle at my fingertips to have a simple glass of water"
• Reminder:   "I will put an alarm on my mobile every four hours"

• Goal: "Every day I wake up 15 minutes early to go running for 10 minutes"
• Action plan: “I prepare sports clothes the night before to go running for 10 minutes in the morning”
• Reminder:  "I leave my things prepared at the door of the room so that I cannot leave without seeing them"

• Goal: "Before leaving home I will have a fruit smoothie"
• Action plan: "The fruit will be prepared to be liquefied in a container in the fridge"
• Reminder:  "I will put a note in the bathroom mirror to prepare the smoothie before leaving"

The main objective of this step is to create an EFFECTIVE notice so that you can perform the action and reach the goal more easily.

 

Step 5: Measure your progress with the goal chain app  

Consistency is the key to achieving goals

The only way to incorporate a habit into our lives is to repeat the action as many times until it becomes automatic. And for this, constancy is required.

How can I know if I am constant?

Humans tend to maximize the positive actions we take and minimize the negative ones. This means that our brains deceive us and we are not objective to evaluate ourselves.

The best way to know if we are making progress is by registering it. Because we can also remember everything we have done over time.

Where can I register it?

I advise you to do it in this App with the GOAL CHAIN

 

Why is it called the GOAL CHAIN?

The only objective is not to break the chain of successes; that is, accumulate the greatest number of days achieving the goal, so that it is faster to incorporate the habit.

Be honest with yourself, because once you identify all the obstacles that prevent you from doing the action, it will be much easier to overcome them.

How can I overcome the obstacles that prevent me from achieving my specific goal?

Making an additional action plan for that goal.

This strategy seems simple, but it is very effective to see results in a short time, in addition to being a way to continue the habit, incorporate it faster, and monitor progress.

Don't worry if one day you fail to achieve your goal. We are human and it is normal to fail, but the important thing is to continue after that failure.

It is important not to fail two days in a row, because if not, being constant again will be more difficult and the habit will not establish itself in your routine. 

 

Step 6: Celebrate your progress

Our reward is in the effort and not in the result

Now you know the steps to achieve the complete process:

1.      Remember

2.      Carry out the action plan

3.      Meet the ultra-specific goal EVERY DAY

4.      There's something missing here, don't you think? ... 

Celebrate your progress!

When you succeed incorrectly performing your daily activities, immediately give yourself a round of applause, a smile, or a few words to yourself.

Although it may not seem important, you need a positive reward to do it again. This increases self-confidence and keeps you motivated to stay consistent.

Some actions in themselves generate a positive reward, any healthy habit has it. However, why not choose an effective reward?

For example:

"My reward for going out for a run will be a refreshing shower. "

At the end of the exercise, we feel exhausted and at first, it seems that it is not a positive reward (although in the short and long the term the exercise has incredible benefits). One way to reward yourself for the effort is to take a shower, that refreshing feeling is sure to give you a good post-exercise reward.

It is important to know that the rewards are consistent with the goal to be achieved.

Don't forget the reason why you set out to improve your habits. If the main reason was to improve your health, the reward cannot be something that is contradictory like eating a package of chocolate cookies after running.

Put the 6 steps into practice and start trading your old habits for healthier habits!

And remember that contrary to what you have been told or have thought to change your habits it is possible, you just need to put into practice the correct strategies.