Practical Ways to Get Back on Track with Your Habits
Stick To Your Habits Once and for All.
If it’s been a couple of days, weeks, or months since you *insert healthy habit here*, remember it’s normal to get off track, and there’s no value beating yourself up about it.
It can be hard to bounce back when we fall off track, especially when we don’t know where to start.
Let’s look at why your habits might not be sticking, and how to set you up to finally stick to your habits.
Reasons why your habits might not be sticking
Is your feedback loop strong enough?
Psychological feedback loops often run unnoticed in the background of our daily lives. They can influence everything from how fast we drive to how frequently we take our medications to how often we check social media. In fact, I would say that feedback loops are the invisible forces that shape human behavior. — James Clear
Bad habits are easy to pick up because of their strong and immediate feedback loops. When we try to adopt a healthy habit, we often focus on the long-term goal or benefit, making it less rewarding to stick with it.
Do you have a defined trigger?
Every habit needs something that kicks it off, whether it’s an alarm, a time of day, or an event like eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Look closely at the habit that you’re currently working on and ask yourself whether you have a natural trigger for that habit.
Do you have your instigation habit down?
An instigation habit is a small thing that you do to get yourself started; it makes it easier to start working on a task. It helps reduce the amount of time you spend procrastinating. Having momentum is a good way to use a little bit of discipline to create a lot of action.
Have you adjusted your environment?
Is your environment conducive to the new habit you’re trying to put in place? Have you removed any potential distractions from your surroundings? It could be turning off notifications from your phone or computer, putting away any tempting snacks or drinks, or finding a quiet place to work on your new habit.
Getting back on track with your habits
When you’re looking to get back to your habit, consider running it through one of the two frameworks that follow to set you up for success.
Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies Framework
The Four Tendencies distinguishes how people respond to expectations: outer expectations (going to a doctor’s appointment, answering a request from a friend) and inner expectations (practicing guitar, going for a daily run). Your answer determines your “Tendency.” — Gretchen Rubin
Whenever you find yourself not following through on a habit or a goal, perhaps it’s because you’re not following your tendency, which impacts how you become motivated to accomplish tasks and goals.
The questioner tendency
People who are questioners like to think about what they should do before deciding. They are not quick to make decisions, which can be a good thing because it helps them make better ones. But when it comes to habits, this can lead them to not doing their habits or goals.
The obliger tendency
The obliger tendency is characterized by a person’s need to meet the expectations of others. Obligers readily take on large amounts of outer accountability for their performance. They are diligent in meeting obligations to others and are empathetic towards the needs of others. A coach or an accountability partner can be very helpful for the obliger.
The rebel tendency
The rebel tendency is characterized by a person’s need to resist outer expectations and do things their way. Rebels don’t like to be told what to do, making it tough for them to stick to habits or goals that they don’t want to do. Instead of relying on others to help them stay accountable, rebels often find creative ways to hold themselves accountable, like setting their own rules or creating public challenges for themselves.
The upholder tendency
Upholders have a tendency to meet outer and inner expectations. They are reliable and disciplined, and they find it easy to follow through on their commitments. Upholders are also self-disciplined and take on goals and habits easily. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably not an upholder. ;)
James Clear’s Habit Loop
The best way to keep yourself doing something is to create strong, positive feedback loops.
I mentioned the feedback loop briefly earlier, but let’s dive in more as this is a great framework to set you up for success with your habits.
James Clear’s Habit Loop has four questions that you can reflect on whenever you struggle to maintain a habit or a goal.
How can I make it obvious? (Cue)
The cue is the thing that triggers the behavior. The cue can be a time of day, an emotion, a location, or a specific person. The environmental cue or the inner craving prompts you to take action. It’s important to identify your cues so you can plan for them.
How can I make it attractive? (Cravings)
By understanding the cravings and how they work, we can use them to our advantage. For a new habit to form, we need to find a way to satisfy the craving in a healthy way. For example, if you want to form the habit of going to the gym, find a way to meet the craving for exercise. It might mean signing up for a class or finding an enjoyable activity. Once the craving is satisfied, it will no longer be necessary to rely on the unhealthy habit to fulfill it.
How can I make this easy? (Response)
The response is the action you take to satisfy the craving. It’s the behavior that you want to automate. To make it easy, you need to make it as simple as possible. It might mean picking a specific time of day or location to do the behavior or choosing an easy activity that doesn’t need a lot of willpower.
How can I make it satisfying? (Rewards)
The reward is the thing that makes the habit loop work. It’s what you’re after when you take action. The reward doesn’t have to be something big or exciting. It can be something small and simple, like a sense of accomplishment, pride in your work, a feeling of pleasure, or a sense of satisfaction. For a habit to stick, you need to find a way to be satisfied by the reward.
Final Thoughts
Building new habits and changing your behavior requires a lot of patience and self-compassion.
If you’re overwhelmed, go slow and focus on one habit at a time. If you fall off the wagon, use it as an opportunity to take a step back learn more about your tendencies and what might be getting in the way of your success.
To Recap :
- Are you missing a defined trigger?
- Do you have your instigation habit down?
- Is your environment set up for success?
- Are you following your tendency?
- Is your feedback loop strong enough?
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