Encourage New Habits by Combining Them With Existing Ones
Developing a new habit – or changing a bad one – takes a lot of work and patience , but your process is important to whether you succeed or not. Instead of creating a new habit out of the blue, lay it on top of another habit you already have.
In the speech at the TEDx, which you can see above, the behavior of the guru BJ Fogg explains why change happens best in small steps. He also invites you to turn to the habits you already have for support. We all have habits already, so why not add a new habit on top of this one. Fogg’s example is doing push-ups every time he goes to the bathroom. He started out with one push-up each time, but over time, he now does eight push-ups each time. Once you’ve gotten into one habit, why not add another? After doing the push-ups – or whichever option you have – drink a glass of water . Baby steps are the key to success, and as Fogg demonstrates, you cheer yourself up with vocals “I’m awesome!” never offend anyone.