Create a Personal Starting Ritual to Kickstart New Habits
The first step to a new habit is always the hardest one. To facilitate the transition, create a ritual that prepares you for the challenge of bridging the gap between your existing routine and your new one.
As explained in the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, we often use certain rituals as bridges between tasks. After getting dressed and drinking coffee, you move from sleep to work. By establishing a more favorable personal starting ritual, you will make it easier to complete a task you are not yet used to doing.
So don’t make this awful thing a habit. Make this habit your “personal starting ritual”. Have a coffee or something else to energize you and turn that into an intuitive cue that always means I’m walking .
And here’s the fun part : Your initial ritual can be fun . As if you were doing the same thing that you put off for later.
Since the first step is always the most difficult, the fact that you enjoy taking the first step (or at least set the mood for the task) takes you away from wanting to avoid the beginning. So, you can start cleaning the kitchen with an invigorating snack first. Or play the music you like before you start practicing. However, a cold turkey is a big strain on your willpower.
How to Stop Procrastinating: 4 New Steps Backed by Research | Bark on the wrong tree