It’s the start of a new year, and we all know what that means — New Year’s resolutions. Whether it’s going to the gym regularly, picking up a new hobby, or finally sticking to a healthier diet, we’ve all got that one goal we’re trying to achieve, and a fresh new year can feel like the perfect moment to turn over a new leaf. Plus, with the pressure of everyone around us setting their own New Year’s resolutions and posting them online, it can feel like you have no choice but to make a grand change and commit to a lofty goal yourself.
But did you know that by the end of January, 88% of people will have given up on their New Year’s resolution? This means that the chances of you still carrying out your resolutions from a couple of months back are shockingly low around this time of the year. The reason is that New Year’s resolutions are usually done without the foundation of habit building that supports long-term lifestyle changes.
What is habit building?
Habit building is the process of doing an action regularly (usually every day) until it becomes almost second nature. For example, most people can do their morning routine before work without really thinking about it. Others find themselves doing their skincare in the evening mindlessly, not even having to register the products they’re putting on. This is the habit state, where actions get put on autopilot.
Sustainable change is less about the date on the calendar and more about consistent practice and mindset shifts. A study in 2009 found that on average, it takes around 66 days to consistently and reliably incorporate one of three new activities (eating fruit, drinking a bottle of water, or running for 15 minutes) into a daily schedule. Therefore, even if your New Year resolution starts on the 1st of January, scientifically speaking, it’s unlikely to be fulfilled before the middle of March — if you can maintain your goal through to that time, though, the chances that you’ll retain that habit forever until you consciously break it are high.
How to form good habits
Break down big goals
When it comes to creating a habit, it’s about doing small things consistently. That means the first step in your goal journey should be to break down a big goal into the smaller actionable steps. For example, if you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, or improve stamina, you’ll want to break down that goal into small actions you can take every day. For example, you might choose to take the stairs at work every day instead of the elevator to increase the amount of cardio you’re doing, even if only by a small amount.
Link new habits to old ones
Another factor that supports habit creation is how linked they are. Linking new habits to existing actions helps them stick in your routine. If you want to do 10 push-ups every day, you should link that to something already in your routine; you might do them immediately after you wake up or maybe on the bathroom floor immediately before a shower.
Similarly, if you want to take a multivitamin more consistently but find yourself forgetting, it might be helpful to put the vitamin bottle next to your coffee pods, so you are reminded to drink them before your morning coffee. That way, you’ll eventually reach for the coffee pod only to find yourself automatically reaching for the multivitamin too. Linking habits in this way helps to create a supporting structure that solidifies every habit at the same time, rather than just one.
Find external support
Finally, it can also be useful to find external support. Habit building is an ongoing process that can begin any day of the year, and outside support — whether it’s from a social worker, therapist or counselor with the requisite online mental health counseling degree, for instance — can provide invaluable guidance and help hold you accountable.
It could also be something less formal, like the simple action of “habit-swapping” with a friend, where you each tell each other about a habit you want to achieve, and you hold each other accountable by checking in or sending a message or a picture once your habit has been completed. Something like, “I’ll send you a video of me doing ten push-ups every morning if you send me a good night message at 10pm and go to sleep immediately after.”
So whether you’re looking to completely change your life or just improve your quality of living, habits can be powerful tools for personal growth. And remember — big changes don’t happen overnight all at once, but over time and perhaps without you even noticing.
