Introduction
Making a change in your life can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. To make a lasting change, you need to set yourself up for success by looking at your environment, creating a minor language change to get the most significant change in outlook, and being consistent. This blog post will discuss these three essential tips that are easy to implement, apply to everyone in any scenario, and help with family, personal, and work life. Let’s get started!
Environments trigger habits. Change them.
If you want to break a bad habit, you need to change your environment. I’m talking about identifying and removing yourself from those triggers and creating an environment that supports your goals.
Think about your environment and what triggers your bad habits. Then, make a plan to change those triggers. For example, if you eat junk food when you’re bored, find something else to do when you’re bored instead of eating. If you smoke when you drink alcohol, avoid drinking alcohol or only drink in places where smoking is not allowed. If you wake up and reach for your phone, leave your phone out of reach or in another room.
Making small changes to your environment can be really helpful in breaking bad habits and forming good ones. and this is easy to do.
A significant change is that many people want to work on something passionate about. That could be working out in the gym, learning a new skill, starting a new venture, trying a new sport etc. Usually, the biggest blocker is ‘I don’t have enough time’, well could be attributed to you watching too much tv. The argument of ‘what is too much TV’ is another topic, but it’s usually the case.
So here the bad habit is watching too much TV. The impact is being unable to perform your truly desired action, and the consequence is usually an unsatisfied disposition. Change the environment, change the habit.
Most TV’s now can’t be turned on without a remote, so don’t just hide it, but also remove the batteries and put them in a location that would require you to question the effort used to get them then the remote, then assemble, then sit down and watch TV.
Too much Netflix? Cancel your subscription, disconnect wi-fi from your tv and forget both autosaved passwords.
The impact here would be your questioning the effort it will take and if it’s worth it. Will it be quicker to pick up that book, change into your gym wear, or pick up that violin than it is to put your remote together, then resubscribe to Netflix and reconnect your wi-fi? You will most likely take this second to consider your decision, then make the right one for you.
Creating this small but significant obstacle will change your environment. You are no longer sitting in your living room or bedroom watching TV. You have engaged in a thought-making exercise to do something you want to do, not on auto-pilot to do, and the impact will be you feeling so much happier and satisfied with your decision. But you will only do this if you really want to make that change.
Start using 'I get to.'
One of the best ways to create a lasting change in your life is to make a minor language change. Instead of saying, “I have to do x,” say, “I get to do x.” This slight change in perspective sounds simple and can make a big difference in how you stick with your new habit and approach challenges.
Saying “I get to” instead of “I have to” makes the habit feel like a privilege rather than a burden. It’s easier to be motivated when you see your habits as something you’re lucky to do rather than something you have to do.
When changing habits, start using “I get to.”
We all work long, tiring days, but how many people would love to have the opportunity to work? ‘I get to work today and provide for me, my dependants, and my family’.
It’s hard to motivate yourself to go to the gym, but you want to feel great within yourself, right? ‘I get to work out, and work towards my 5k time, or lift my target weight, or fit in that outfit’.
It’s challenging to get out of bed earlier than you need to and work on that side hustle, but how much will you regret not trying it in 5 years’ time? ‘I get to share my knowledge, I get to work on my prototype, I get to write this blog article’.
This tweak in language will change your thinking. You are your thoughts. Adjusting your thoughts will adjust your mentality, actions, outcomes, and opportunities.
It costs nothing. You get to make this change so easily.
Start by writing down all the things you have to do. Cross out ‘have’ replace it with ‘get’. Start using this language consistently, and see the change in your outcome pretty much instantly.
Be consistent.
One of the best ways to make a lasting change in your life is to be consistent. Change doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes time and effort to form new habits and break bad ones. When it comes to changing habits, it’s essential to be patient and consistent. Research indicates 30 days of consistency will develop a strong habit.
To achieve this, make it easy, make it enjoyable and connect it to something you already do.
Eat Breakfast Every Morning
Make it easy:
- Prepare your meals the night before,
- Taking out the pans, the plate, the cutlery, the herbs and spices,
- Put them on the stove, the table, the chopping board etc,
Make it enjoyable:
- Try different recipes,
Connect it:
- Put on an audiobook in the background,
- Start cooking after your morning coffee,
Wake Up and Work First Thing
Make it easy:
- Clear your desk the night before,
- Leave out your notepad,
- Write down the morning tasks the night before,
- Have your pens out and the webpage you need loaded up on the screen,
Make it enjoyable:
- If you get your morning task completed, reward yourself with a Starbucks, Costa or whatever your preference is,
- Browse social media for 10 minutes,
Connect it:
- Leave your phone in that room, so you have to go there (you may need to buy a separate cheap and cheerful alarm clock),
Go to the Gym in the Morning
Make it easy:
- Lay out your gym clothes the night before,
- Get your gym bag ready,
- Have your headphones charged up,
Make it fun:
- Download the latest album or podcast you want to listen to,
- Plan a workout including a new exercise you have wanted to try,
Connect it:
- Drive past your favourite coffee or breakfast cafe, and pick up something on your way out of the gym to work or back home,
Learn An Instrument
Make it easy:
- Move your instrument next to your sofa,
- Have the music book on your table,
- Put the remote up in the bedroom cupboard,
Make it fun:
- Do-ray-mi gets tedious, so try playing a new song or favourite piece of music,
Connect it:
- As soon as you have finished, start dinner,
- Have a book you want to read out next to it,
Conclusion
It usually takes 30 days to establish a habit. 30 days to change and improve your life sounds reasonable.
Changing environment triggers, changing the language we use to describe what we do (from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to’), and staying consistent will definitely help achieve goals. Implement them into your life, and with these small changes, a little patience and consistency, you’ll start seeing results in 30 days! It may sound difficult at first, but it’s not impossible.
