Regardless of where you are in your personal habitual routine it is important to celebrate your successes while highlighting areas for improvement.
Understand that introducing new habits will take time and discipline, so it is important to consider implementing easy-to-use systems and accountability. According to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it often takes longer than two months for a behavior to become routine.
Tips for Implementing a New Habit
If you are considering adding a new habit to your current routine be sure to set realistic expectations. Tackle one new habit every three-to-six months and ensure that it’s stabilized before implementing a second one.
Additional tips include using time blocking or setting personal appointments for activities such as working out, meditating or reviewing your finances. Also consider the use of your smart technology to set reminders throughout the day. Consider sharing your personal goals with a friend, neighbor or loved one to build in accountability and support.
Lastly, if you get off track give yourself some grace. Just work to reroute as soon as possible toward the path of achieving your best life.
Below are 6 habits worth considering. You got this!
1. Get Enough Sleep
Studies are unable to confirm exactly how much sleep one needs to live a healthy productive life. Studies do however provide pretty reliable guidelines for healthy sleeping habits. In 2008 Current Biology confirmed that children need more sleep than adults, and the Mayo Clinic among other institutions recommend that seniors and adults get 7-8 hours a sleep each night. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can run successfully on fumes. Prioritize sleep for a month and experience the difference.
2. Make Your Bed Every Morning
I borrowed this habit suggestion from Oprah. Her thought was to start every day with a small success. When you make your bed daily you wake up and accomplish something immediately. One additional benefit is the ongoing reminder throughout the day of your first completed task. For every time you walk in your room, you witness accomplishment rather than what might otherwise look like a disorderly mess.
3. Hydrate
Try to drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you weigh 160 lbs, set a goal to drink 80 ounces of water a day (equivalent to five 16-oz pint glasses). If you are a morning coffee drinker, try to drink one large glass of water before pouring a cup of joe. Also, try substituting your coffee with an herbal tea throughout the day. If necessary, set reminders in your phone or get in the habit of drinking a glass of water before every large meal. According to OneMedical.com, water is essential to every cell of our body. Proper hydration is proven to promote cardiovascular heath and improve muscle and joint functionality. Water will help to cleanse your body inside and out. Drink up.
4. Exercise
Regular exercise and physical activity are proven to have a number of benefits that are present across all ages, genders and physical ability. We understand that getting up, moving and increasing our heart rate can lead to a longer, healthier life. This understanding however does not make it any easier to fit physical activity into a daily routine.
As a working mother of two toddler boys, I personally struggle with prioritizing my personal physical activity. I am not endorsing a lack of movement but admit that of these six habits exercise is my biggest challenge. Several successful entrepreneurs build exercise into their daily routine; they schedule it as you would any other meeting. Scheduling weekday sweat sessions in either the early morning or later evening can be an effective way to regularly exercise at times when distractions are more limited relative to the rest of the day.
Do you have any tips that have worked for you personally? If so, I invite you to contact me directly so that I can share them with the WDM community.
5. Meditate
Modern-day technology has made the act of meditation more accessible and approachable for people at all experience and comfort levels. Smartphone apps like HeadSpace provide meditation guidance in 3-20 minute increments. Sessions can even be inserted regularly or sporadically throughout the day. As the pace of our society and the pressure of immediateness continues to increase, the practice of “being here now” becomes arguably more valuable. Introducing meditation can be a valuable addition to an already great routine.
6. Track Your Financial Progress
Okay, tracking your finances might not be the most exciting option on this list but it might be one of the most important. Having an understanding of where you are today relative to where you would like to be is critical to one’s financial success. It is important to know how much you earn, how much you spend, how much you own (assets) and how much you owe (liabilities). These four figures help to determine your cash flow (inflows vs. outflows) and net worth (how much you are worth).
If you are working toward financial freedom or simply want to ensure that you are on-track to retire at a reasonable age, it is important to take the time to track your financial progression over time.
The recommended cadence of how often you track your finances should depend on your personality and goals. Are you trying to spend less in order to pay off debt? Tracking weekly or monthly against your modern-day budget is likely appropriate. Are you focused on your long-term retirement investments? Quarterly or semi-annually might be more adequate. If you need help with this process, contact Wealth Driven Mindset to schedule a complimentary phone session to figure out where to begin.
