For a long time, I tried to create healthier habits. At first, it was always pretty easy. During the first few days, I felt motivated and excited. But after a while, I would give up again. I kept wondering how I could actually make new habits stick.
So I started doing some research, and eventually I found Atomic Habits by James Clear. Honestly, I think it’s the perfect book for people who are trying to build healthier habits but struggle to stay consistent and make them last. In this blog post, I share how to make new habits stick.
How to Make New Habits Stick
To create new healthy habits and actually make them stick, you need more than just motivation. Because honestly, you’re not going to feel motivated every single day. If you truly want your new habits to last, then you should follow these four steps.
- Make it Obvious
The first step is to make your new habit obvious, and you can do this in different ways. One effective method is called habit stacking. For example, maybe you already have the habit of eating breakfast every morning. Since it’s something you already do automatically, you can attach a new habit to it.
For example:
“After I finish breakfast, I will clean the kitchen.”
“After I drink my morning coffee, I will read 10 pages.”
You simply connect a new habit to an existing one. Another way to make habits obvious is to make them more visible in your environment.
For example:
If you want to eat healthier, place healthy snacks on the counter or kitchen table where you’ll constantly see them.
If you want to go for a walk in the morning, prepare your outfit and shoes the night before so they’re the first thing you notice when you wake up.
If you want to read more, leave books around the house or keep your e-reader in your bag.
The easier it is to see your habit, the more likely you are to actually do it. - Make it Attractive
Let’s be honest: sometimes we know certain habits are good for us, but that doesn’t automatically make them enjoyable. That’s why it’s important to make your habits more attractive. One of the best ways to do this is to pair something you have to do with something you want to do.
For example, maybe you dislike doing your administration or washing the dishes, but those tasks still need to get done. You can motivate yourself by connecting them to something enjoyable.
For example:
“First I’ll do the dishes, then I can watch an episode of my favorite show.”
“I’ll finish my work first, and afterward I can relax and play a game.”
Sometimes I don’t feel motivated to work either, but I try to make it more enjoyable by listening to music while I work. Then afterward, I reward myself by watching an episode of a show I like. By associating habits with positive feelings or rewards, they become much easier to stick to. - Make it Easy
Some habits are difficult to start, so you need to make them easier for yourself. For example, maybe you want to work out at a gym, but the gym is far away. That automatically creates extra resistance. Instead, you could make things easier by starting with home workouts. Or maybe a 30-minute workout feels overwhelming. In that case, start with just 5 minutes. Doing something small is always better than doing nothing at all.
I personally don’t enjoy cleaning, so I started cleaning for just 5 minutes every morning. Most of the time, once those 5 minutes are over, I naturally keep going. Another example: if you struggle to buy healthier groceries because you’re tempted by junk food in the supermarket, make a shopping list and order your groceries online instead. That way, you avoid unnecessary temptation. The easier a habit is to start, the more likely you are to stick with it. - Make it satisfying
The reason we stick to certain habits is that we get rewarded for doing them. For example, when we scroll on our phones, we immediately get a dopamine hit. But with healthier habits, the rewards are often delayed. It takes time to see results.
For example, if you start working out, you won’t see changes immediately. It can take weeks or even months. A habit tracker can be helpful in this case. It feels good to cross off another day and see your consistency build over time.
You can also reward yourself, but try not to reward a healthy habit with something that cancels it out. like eating junk food after a workout. Instead, choose small, supportive rewards. For example, it could be something as simple as enjoying a cup of tea, watching an episode of your favorite show, or taking a relaxing break.
Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash