How To Get Back On Track With Your Positive Habits
Make a commitment, don’t be too hard on yourself and start small.
We all have those days (or even weeks) when it is hard to get things done. When our productivity is on the decline, we want to lie down in bed and watch TV all day.
When we prefer eating junk food than going to the gym. Or we are just doing the negative habits that move us away from our goals.
After we finally cave and stop doing the things that help us get on track to accomplish our goals, we can start to criticize ourselves and feel down because we have been slacking off.
Have you felt like that?
No worries, I have felt that way as well.
Thus, today, I will share some things I have done to get back on track after a period of slacking off doing my positive habits.
Make The Commitment To Get Back On Track
The first step to getting back on track is to be aware that you are slacking off. Furthermore, identify the positive habits that you are not following through.
That is, you need to identify the root of what’s causing you to feel that you are off track. Hence, feeling like you failing (or failed) in some area of your life.
Here are some examples:
- Exercising
- Eating healthy
- Learning new things (reading new books, taking online courses)
- Journalling
5. Making your bed
6. Getting to work on time
7. Drinking water every day
Once you identify the positive habits you are not following through, make a commitment to start doing them.
What has helped me to commit is to become aware of the negative effects that not practicing these habits are causing to your life.
For instance:
- You have gained 10 pounds
2. Your clothes don’t fit anymore
3. You missed job opportunities because you don’t have the necessary skills
4. Your boss gave you a warning on getting late to work
5. You feel stressed
6. Your house is dirty
7. You have less energy
Looking at the negative effects may help re-motivate you to get back on track with your positive habits. Because you can see that you are moving away from the life you want thanks to these adverse effects.
Hence, helping you commit to starting practicing the positive habits that help you in your life.
Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
Something that has helped me a lot to get back on track is the realization that we are human.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. There are plenty of people willing to do that for you. Love yourself and be proud of everything that you do. Even mistakes mean you’re trying.” — Susan Gale
Hence, we are not perfect, and nobody is expecting us to be.
Moreover, I have learned to accept the fact that life is not linear at all.
We are going to have ups and downs along our journey. As a result, we may have periods where we are incredibly productive, and following our positive habits, other times, we may not be as productive.
So, instead of criticizing yourself for getting off track, have some compassion for yourself. Understand that you are human and that you don’t have to be perfect.
Also, you can look at it this way; it’s just a small detour towards success. So, don’t beat yourself up.
Then, pick yourself back up and start moving in a positive direction.
Start Small
Once you have committed to getting back on track, start re-incorporating one positive habit at a time. That is the ones that you need to start doing again.
In my experience, starting small helped me re-energize and get motivated to keep practicing my positive habits.
“Success is the sum of small efforts — repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier
On the other hand, when I started to practice more than one positive habit at a time, I tend to feel overwhelmed and lose motivation quickly.
The key is to start small and gain positive momentum, one habit a time. Once you start seeing the positive results manifest in your life, feelings of joy, confidence, and optimism begin to come up.
Thus, helping you get back on track on moving towards the life you desire.
Takeaways
When getting off track doing positive habits in your life, you have to make a commitment to get on track.
To make the commitment, first, you need to be aware of the habits you need to start doing again. To become aware, you can witness the negative effects that manifest in your life as a result of stopping your positive habits.
Don’t be too hard on yourself; pick yourself back up and start one habit a time.
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Disclaimer: I am not a mental health, fitness or counseling professional. These tips and advice are based on my experience and opinion as a student, tutor, teacher, and software developer. Everyone is different, so, the advice shared in this article may or may not work for you.