These 3 Things will Help you Break your Bad Habits

Let’s talk about habits.?

Most of us have a habit we’d like to get rid of or one we’ve been dreaming of developing.?

For example, maybe you’d like to quit that morning coffee, or maybe you’ve been hoping to implement thirty minutes of exercise into your day.?

The truth is - our habits make up our routine - and our routine has a significant impact on our wellbeing and the quality of our life. Yet, despite knowing this, the majority of people struggle to sustain a habit for long periods of time.?

Why is that??

After all, research has shown that it can take as little as 90 days for a repeated behaviour to become automatic.?

Yes, you read that right! You can form a new habit in as little as six months…Pretty incredible, considering some of us have just crossed off more than 200 days in lockdown.

What’s lockdown got to do with it?

Well, most of us have been thrown into an entirely new way of living and working.?

We've Had to Adapt, Navigate Through Lockdowns (Will They Ever End?), and Last, but Not Least - We're Experiencing the Collision of our Many Roles Daily — CEO, CFO, Worker, Partner, Caretaker, Creative, Parent, Child, Friend, Teacher...Often From The Sole Comfort of Our Kitchen Table.

So...How has This Environment Affected Your Routine??

What Habits of Yours have Come and Gone? And what strategies are you currently using to make sure you’re still committed to them in two weeks’ time??

As a lover of routine and building healthy habits that support me in showing up, I wanted to share the top tips that have helped me to date in not only creating but sustaining habits long term.?

How to break bad habits (and build good ones)

It’s impossible to make improvements without first recognising the areas you’d like to see change in and what has led to downfalls in the past.?

Here are some questions to help inspire you to think more deeply about your own personal and professional development:

• How are you choosing to show up each day at work and in your personal life?
• What could you do to become more effective and impactful?
• How are you interacting with your colleagues and clients - are you truly connecting?

Once you’ve taken the time to recognise the areas you wish to improve in, I’ve shared my top favourite strategies below, which you can put into action as of today.?

1. Implement a System

Setting a goal is one thing, but successfully changing a behaviour rarely occurs without a system. When we don’t have the right framework in place, we face a greater likelihood of derailing our hard-earned progress.

Several factors are in play when it comes to your habits, including environment, instincts, drive, personal traits, and individual motivation.

Finding clarity about why you’d like to implement change, and mapping out a plan on how to achieve it, including how you’ll handle derailers, is a great start.

2. Create Accountability

It’s no secret that we’re more likely to follow through on our word when we’ve made a promise or shared our goals with others, as opposed to striking up a deal with ourselves.

So, why not appoint an accountability buddy? Having a friend, partner, or colleague you can speak to about your progress and pitfalls can help you stay on track.

3. Developmental Coaching

There’s an old saying:

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together.”

To me, this sums up the benefits and results you can gain from investing in yourself and working with an executive coach. The behavioural change, the solid and clearly defined progress, and the motivation and excitement I’ve witnessed in my clients have been tremendous.

So if you’re curious about how to take decisive action that creates confidence and strength to propel you forward, then get in touch with me via Linkedin or reach out via email to [email protected].?