It’s easy to think of all of the good habits we wish we had: putting money away each month, getting up earlier, working out every day. As it turns out, setting good habits can be a powerful way to achieve our goals and help keep us focused and organized. Once a good habit is etched in our brain, we’ll be much closer to achieving our goals without even thinking about it.
According to author Charles Duhigg, habits require three components—the cue, the reward and the routine. In order to successfully create any automatic response, we have to nail all three.
The cue is simply the circumstances surrounding the habit. Take, for example, brushing your teeth, which you (hopefully) do at least twice a day. Most likely you do it when you wake up and before going to bed. You probably brush in the bathroom. You’re also probably by yourself, or maybe your spouse is there, too. You may be triggered or “cued” to do it because, well, your mouth tastes mucky or you ate something with garlic. Most of us don’t think much about brushing our teeth; we just do it out of habit. We don’t spend hours anticipating the act or even thinking about it at all. It just gets done.
The reward is whatever helps trigger that “muscle memory” or Pavlovian response. In classical conditioning, animals (or humans) are given a cue to perform a task and then rewarded with a treat. Eventually, just the presence of the cue will trigger a response. Whether it’s habits in budget-keeping, exercise or even dental hygiene, a reward is a mandatory part of the process. Good habits produce good results. In our teeth-brushing example, the reward is a clean mouth, a lower dental bill, a lack of mouth pain, and maybe even the fact that you’d rather happily avoid a lecture from your dental hygienist.
The routine is simply putting the cue, the act and the reward together. Once you combine these three components: 1. My mouth feels mucky, 2. I brush my teeth, 3. My mouth feels better—you have the recipe for a good habit.
But here’s the cool part, and the BIG reason creating good habits matters so much: Habits, once established, use a different part of our brain. We don’t have to think about them, we just do them, and they don’t drain our mental energy. Thus, the more good habits we can create, the more productive, happier, and successful we can become.
It’s a good idea to spend time thinking about what habits you really want to form and identifying what’s most important to you. Journaling or just writing down your future good habits can really help. Here are a bunch of great habits (beyond brushing) to help you be more successful, happier and less stressed. Try applying some of these good habits to your daily life as “starter habits”—and it’s only up from there!
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| Credit: livingwellspendingless.com |
1. Keep Things Tidy
Picking up, keeping things organized, and even just making the bed helps us feel better. It prepares us for visitors, helps us be more efficient, allows for a better night’s sleep, and even helps us get along with our spouse and our children better.
It’s probably not realistic to expect to spend two hours every day cleaning from ceiling to floor. And vacuuming and dusting every single day? Not gonna happen. However, just sweeping through the house, picking up items lying around, cleaning up spills as they happen and rinsing your dishes and putting them in the dishwasher can make a world of difference. Most importantly? It keeps the mess from escalating, which keeps us from lashing out at our husbands and children, or from being angry with ourselves.
Try setting a timer when you’re just starting out forming this habit. Before you go to the bedroom or even before you settle down to watch some television—whatever your nightly routine—go through your house for just 15 minutes. Pick up items, straighten cushions and wipe off counters. Make it a habit to rinse the dish after you eat off it and to make your bed the moment you get up. Your day and attitude will benefit.
2. Mindfully Manage Your Money
One of the top habits of successful people? They’re mindful money managers. Spending can be habitual and automatic. When we get into the routine of swiping a credit card at every whim, it can quickly spiral out of control and become a dangerous mess.
One of the best ways to get in the habit of mindful money management is to take some time off from spending all together. This can be a challenge, but when it’s over, you’ll be amazed at how much more you think before you swipe that card.
Make it a habit to examine your bank account and budget daily. Just 5 minutes a day spent glancing at it and checking that things are going smoothly can catch problems right away. Put your money back in your wallet or place coins in a jar each time you spend. Make it a habit to stash the “extra” change away. Just wait and see how quickly it adds up.
3. Choose Gratitude
One habit that can definitely change your perspective almost immediately is to become intentional about choosing an attitude of gratitude. Universally, successful people are able to identify the positive things in their life and show appreciation for them. When I was having a particularly difficult time with a loved one, a friend told me to sit down and make a list of everything I appreciated about that person. Whenever I was frustrated or angry with them, I would revisit that list. As silly as it sounds, it really did help.
Focusing on what you’re grateful for helps build an appreciation for what you have. It helps us feels blessed, so we can find beauty in life’s ordinary moments. When things are going wrong, remaining thankful helps us refocus on all the things going right.
Make a habit of identifying 3 things every day that you’re grateful for. This can be as simple as eating a yummy breakfast, hearing from a friend, or sleeping in a warm bed at night. If you focus on these 3 items each day and list them out every morning in your journal (or on your phone or anywhere you can easily revisit often), you’ll be amazed at how much you have to be happy about. Continue Reading >> Page 2
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