How to Build a Habit - In a Practical Way?

How to build a Habit in a Practical way?

1. Set a specific goal - Whatever goal you set, try to keep it as clear and crisp as possible. You should have the answer to questions like -

Where I am gonna do it? How I am gonna do it? When do I do it?

For Example :-

Instead of planning something like - "I will be coding a lot today"

Plan like this - "I am gonna code for 5 hrs today"

???????????????????????1st Slot - 2 to 5 pm

???????????????????????2nd Slot - 7 to 9 pm

In short, the key here is to have a clear and measurable goal !!

2. Make it attractive to do -?New habits are difficult to be followed. To make sure at least we get started with them, we can kind of trick our minds to do that by adding some rewards at the completion of the task.

This will help us to focus and complete our tasks even if it’s tough to do in the starting days because by default our mind is designed for instant gratification and not for delayed gratification.

For example :-

Gym : After completing 6 days streak, I will reward myself by watching my fav actor or director’s movie.

Coding : After coding for 3 hrs today, I will go watch my fav podcast’s new episode.

3. Make it Easy - Cut the distractions. Remove all the sub-tasks which are unnecessary or of low impact. Reduce the friction involved in the successful completion of your task.

For example :-

Mute all the app notifications on your phone and PC for the time slot you have planned to study.

Close all the extra open tabs in your browser if they aren’t contributing to your main task.

4. Split your goal - Break your goal into smaller sprints and intervals. This will help to prevent you from being too bored and tired of the task you are doing. Also, it will keep you fresh regularly which is very essential to stick to your goals.

5. Have an accountable partner - It’s very natural that we get distracted and lost from the track or plan we have set up to achieve our goal. Hence, it’s very important to have an accountable partner who knows and understands your daily goals as well as your end goal.

They will monitor your progress on daily basis and make sure you don’t fall short of your planned KPIs for the day.

While choosing an accountable partner, try to have someone with similar and shared goals as yours. So that you both are able to contribute to each other equally and regularly.

All the best for your habit-forming!! Go win this :)