Consistency is the cornerstone of personal growth and achieving lasting success when starting a new routine, especially for the New Year. It could be changing your diet or exercise program, beginning a new relationship, or trying something for the very first time. No matter what it is, you have to consider a few things that will keep you on track. Let Ocean State Job Lot give you several ideas to help get that done. Consider them vital tricks to the trade.
Start Small and Be Specific
Don’t get overwhelmed. Remember, if you’re starting with a new exercise program, you wouldn’t start with a marathon. Instead, you might begin with walking or running a few thousand steps a day, something you’re comfortable with and increase it, either day-by-day or month-to-month-, from there.
Use a Fitbit or write it down in a journal. It’ll be easier to achieve your goals if you can see them clearly. It will also help you avoid a quick burnout with going up and down too quickly with your exercise program.
Eating Healthier
It’s so much easier to say you want to eat healthy than to actually do it. You’ll want to define your intentions more specifically to help you out. Use phrases like “eat a salad for lunch twice a week.”
Again, the idea is to help you achieve and track your goals. Think of picking up a whiteboard and some markers from Ocean State Job Lot to put up on the walls to use for this task.
Prioritize and Schedule
Treat your new habit like a job. Block out certain times during the week. Put them on your calendar and stick to them. If there is a week that your new program can’t be done, make sure that you don’t miss consecutive appointments. Doing that could certainly set you back into a tailspin and off your consistent schedule.
Prioritize ruthlessly: Identify the most important habits and schedule them first. If your schedule gets crowded, protect these non-negotiable activities.
Build a Supportive Environment
- Remove Temptations: If you’re trying to eat healthier, remove junk food from your home. If you’re aiming for a distraction-free workspace, turn off notifications and find a quiet corner.
- Find an Accountability Partner: Share your goals with a friend, family member, or mentor. Workout with a family member or friend at the gym or at home with Job Lots variety of yoga mats, hand weights, and dumbbells. Regular check-ins can provide motivation and keep you accountable.
Understand Your Motivation
If you’re going to go through starting a new habit, you first must understand the deeper reasons behind your goals. Why is this habit important to you? Why will it improve your life?
Sure, it puts attention on the outcome of the process but also the reward of it as well. It’s both a physical and mental path that you’re taking, so keep that in mind.
Practice Self-Compassion
Allow yourself to make the occasional mistake. It’s ok if you miss the workout or have an unhealthy meal. As said above, just don’t let it be a pattern. That would certainly derail your track to success.
In that same vein, you want to celebrate the small wins. It’s those victories that keep us going on a day-to-day basis. After all, just like the sports teams we follow, it’s not always just about the championships, it’s about the journeys as well.
Have Fun with It
No matter what your new habits are, try to have a little fun with them.
Try stacking them together, like brushing your teeth and then meditating before you go to bed every night.
Shop for new workout clothes at Job Lot to wear at the gym. Or maybe pick out some new music to play on your playlist iPhone
The key to good habit-building is consistency, but remember it’s a journey, not a destination. You’ll need plenty of patience, persistence, and an awful lot of willingness to adapt. Be slow, reward yourself, and make sure to stay true to your goals. With that, you should be on the road to keeping your habits consistent.
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