5 strategies to put your habits on auto-pilot

Today, I’m going to show you how to put the habits you are building on auto-pilot so they become integrated into your routine.

Do you feel frustrated about not being able to build the habits you want?

You are not alone!

Adding the right habits to your routine is something that many people attempt and fail at.?

Myself included.

In a prior newsletter we showed how to sugarcoat your habits to make them stick.

Unfortunately, even with desire, motivation and sugar-coating people still struggle to build habits that last.

Why?

They fail to design and implement a system to make success inevitable.

Just Wanting To Have A Habit Is Not Enough!

Building habits, like many other things, is a long term endeavor that needs to be approached systematically.

You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” — James Clear, Atomic Habits

Being systematic about habit building will enable you to

• Be more mindful of how you spend your time
• Learn how to systemize long term goals?
• Actually succeed in building habits?
• Experience more peace daily

I’m going to show you 5 proven strategies to build habits that have worked for members of my Empowered Achievers community .

Know Your Sleep Chronotype

When it comes to habits and routines EVERYONE has an opinion on what is best.

But truly all they have figured out is what is best for THEM.

Say you want to start a new journaling routine to clear your head of thoughts, be more reflective and explore future ideas. A lot of people will say you have to get up at the crack of dawn and journal before work.?

Now this might work great if you are a morning person.?

But if you are not a morning person, and you are foggy and groggy first thing this is going to suck. If you are at your most creative late in the evening then you might be better off journaling at night instead.

By and large everyone Falls into two broad categories.?

Night Owl or Morning Lark.

Figuring out which you are, is essential to being able to successfully build habits.

It does not matter which category you fall into.?

What matters is that you know when you are at your most optimal throughout the day.

Once you know that, you can actually schedule it when you’re most likely to do it.

Understand yourself, go with your own flow.

Decide when you will practice your habits

The road to hell is paved with good intentions…

It’s not enough to ‘intend’ to create a new habit.

In order to make a habit actionable you have to pick a specific time to do it!

Say for instance you want to start running.

Ask yourself, when exactly will you do that?

Will it be at 6 am before going to work?

Or? at the end of your work day?

I don’t know about you but if I try to run at 5pm more often than not the day gets away from me and I end up skipping it. So if you are a night owl you might want to run late at night after the kids go to bed if that works for you. Or try to run during your lunch break.?

Bottom line: really think about when & how it will fit in your day.

And be specific so that you actually have an action plan.?

Make a recurring commitment

This one is crucial.

The best way to help you stick to the habits you’re trying to establish is putting your commitment to do it out in the universe.?

Make an explicit commitment to do it!

Put it on your calendar.

Make it a recurring event.

Set an alarm.

Commit to meeting someone so you show up.?

And start the commitment the night before: for example, lay out your gym clothes so you trip over them when you wake up in the morning!

Whatever works for you, just externalize your commitment!

Track your progress

What is measured improves.

What is measured & reported improves exponentially. - Pearson’s Law

Having visibility of your progress with a habit is an essential part of building & maintaining it.

You can do this in a notebook or digitally on an app.?

How you track your progress is not the main deal.

What’s important is that you hold yourself accountable for tracking & reviewing your progress

Stay Accountable

The final strategy to build and maintain?your habits is accountability.?

Being held accountable by someone other than yourself will immensely increase your likelihood of maintaining a habit

Now, external accountability comes in two forms.

Implicit accountability: where you are somewhat held accountable by a group of peers, your social group or an online community . Simply as a function of sharing your goals with others.

Explicit accountability: where there is a dedicated coach or mentor that actively works towards keeping you accountable to your goals, helping you plan them out, & pushes you to achieve them

Both forms of accountability contribute to the success of having your habits on autopilot. If you can, aim for having both.

Being accountable to others can feel stressful or scary. But, that’s exactly why it helps! Sometimes you need that external push to help you do what you have to.

Final thoughts

It takes time, effort & planning when you try to build a habit. It is crucial to approach it in a systematic way so that you increase your chances of it actually sticking!

PS. What were some difficult habits for you to build & how did you overcome it? Share in the comments below!

Before you go…

If you are looking for explicit accountability to help break bad habits and reclaim your purpose you can book a free coaching call at https://h3.xyz/ .?

We’ll create a safe space for you to talk through the details of your current situation and explore options for change.?

Whether you’re working with us or not, our goal is that you leave the call with clarity on next steps to live into your profitable purpose.