11 Tips to Build and Maintain Habits
I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.
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Did you make resolutions for 2024? How did they work out? Did you make resolutions for 2025? Unfortunately, most people who make New Year’s resolutions don’t stick with them. According to a 2023 poll from Forbes Health, just under 1 in 10 people (8%) said their resolutions lasted a month, 21.9% reported two months, 22.2% reported three months, and 13.1% said their resolutions lasted four months. Only 1% said they lasted for 11 or 12 months.
Most resolutions fail because people don’t turn them into habits. Research shows that 40% of what we do every day is a habit.
Man is largely a creature of habit, and many of his activities are more or less automatic reflexes from the stimuli of his environment. —G. Stanley Hall
Forget resolutions and focus on habits. Allow me to share some tips for building and maintaining habits.
11 Tips to Build and Maintain Habits
Start small.
Shrink the habit and start with an easily reachable goal. Instead of doing something every day, do it 3-4 times a week. Instead of doing ten pushups, do two. Establish the habit first, then increase the repetition toward your goal.
Anchor new habits to existing ones.
Habit stacking involves tying a new habit to an existing one. For example, floss your teeth after a meal or do five squats while brewing coffee. Take advantage of your existing good habits.
Make it easy.
Reduce friction for good habits and increase friction for bad ones. Design your environment to support your habits. Have floss picks in a desk drawer, in the car, and anywhere you have meals. Keep a book next to where you like to read. Books on a shelf don’t get read. Sacrifice a bit of organization to have visual reminders.
Leverage positive emotions.
Enjoy the habit itself or attach it to something you enjoy. Listen to music while cleaning. Celebrate immediately after completing a habit.
Use triggers and cues.
Pay attention to the time, place, and emotional state that triggers a habit. Use visual cues like sticky notes or alarms to remind yourself. Change a password you use all the time to a goal.
Focus on consistency and not perfection.
Aim never to miss twice. If you miss one day, get back on track the next. Celebrate any progress, no matter how small.
Focus on identity, not outcomes.
Shift your mindset to align with the person you want to become. Instead of saying, “I want to run,” say, “I am a runner.” Your goal for the year is not about having goals but about developing the person you need to be to achieve them.
Get an accountability partner.
Ultimately, you will hold yourself accountable, but it helps to have a partner. You can hold each other accountable and encourage each other on the tough days.
Track progress.
Use habit trackers to measure your consistency. Pick a method that is easy and highly visual, like a calendar or poster. If streak mechanisms work for you, try these apps: Streaks (iPhone) and HabitNow (Android).
Adjust and iterate.
Experiment and refine your habits. If something isn’t working, adjust it until it fits your lifestyle. The goal is to stay engaged without frustration.
Design for sustainability.
Build systems, not just goals. Goals are for people who care about winning once, while systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly.
Consider the following books for more information about habits. Note: These are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, PhD
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Daily Habit is where I share my habits related to the fundamentals: sleep, diet, physical activity, mindfulness, and stress management.
A great way to establish habits is to share them with friends and loved ones for extra motivation and accountability. The free app HabitShare allows you to create custom habits and share progress with friends to hold each other accountable.
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This week:
Every word in this list is missing the letters K-I-N-D. Put the letters back (in any order) in the spaces below to reveal common English words.
_ _ _ _ EY
_ UC _ L _ _ G
WR _ _ _ LE _
QU _ C _ SA _ _
CA _ _ LEST _ C _
W _ _ _ BREA _ ER
Today’s newsletter is a good refresher that expands upon a newsletter about habits from two years ago.
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