Establishing a habit

Habits are actions that we repeatedly do, like brushing teeth, driving a car, or getting dressed. When you watch a toddler learning to get dressed, it makes you realize some advantages of mindless performance rather than thinking about the steps that go into choosing an outfit or putting on a shirt. Life without habits would be much more complicated.

Three steps go into forming a habit:

Reminder (a trigger or cue)
Routine (the action)
Reward (benefit gained, either from the behavior or one that encourages you to act)

One habit that I’m committed to forming is completing NUTs (nagging unfinished tasks). I keep a running list of tasks in the back of my journal to choose from, depending on weather and inclination. I don’t want to spend more than 30 minutes daily on these projects. Small steps over time will get the jobs done and list whittled. I’ve established a reminder by placing the tools, hardware and my work gloves where I will see them. Having a job finished, while intrinsically rewarding, is not compelling enough, or I wouldn’t have a list of unfinished NUTs. For motivation, I’ve pinned completion to a more immediate reward. Before I can relax with a cup of tea, I must complete the day’s task, which is a bit like bribing myself. The penalty for non-completion is failing to honor the commitment I’ve made to myself—a matter of character.

Some hints for creating new habits:

Plan to work on just one thing at a time. Don’t dilute your efforts with changing/starting/stopping multiple habits.
Piggyback a desired new habit on something you routinely do. (e.g. combine with your commute driving with a new habit of praying—which may not be a bad idea anyway given mean streets and outrageous driving)
Use an analog calendar and mark an X to signify goal completion. Jerry Seinfeld gets credit for this technique. “Don’t break the chain.”
Use your online calendar’s feature to set up text or email alerts for events, bills, or a reminder on a new habit
Find an accountability partner to cheer your successes and support your difficulties. 12 step program sponsors act in this capacity by providing guidance and encouragement.
Use a fitness device for counting steps or tracking workouts. Weighing yourself regularly on a bathroom scale helps monitor weight and encourage workouts and healthy eating.
Setup if / then propositions — e.g. if I go for an after-dinner walk, then I can have dessert.
Set a timer for a certain amount of time—e.g. 10 minutes of focused writing or for stretching.

Only you can decide if you are truly committed to a particular goal. If so, break big goals into manageable steps. Make a task small enough to get a quick win. Go for low hanging fruit by doing easy first. The ball’s in your court.

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