Build a habit

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Consistency is key. Rule number one when trying to build a habit, if you aren’t being consistent then chances are you’re probably not going to make it happen. 

So I haven’t been posting as regularly as I would have liked over the last few weeks. I didn’t actively decide to take a break, to be honest time has been running away from me and life has been getting in the way. Every time I have scheduled to take some time to write, something else has taken my attention becoming the priority. 

Whilst this is completely true from the point of view of not wanting to reach overload and burnout from trying to juggle too much. I’m also a firm believer that if you want to make something happen because it is important to you then not being able to find the time to achieve your goals wouldn’t even be an excuse. 

As I’ve already mentioned one of my secret ingredients for really nailing life and all the little challenges that come with it is consistency. In order to stay consistent, you need to build tiny habits into your everyday routine and for these to be successful they need to appeal to you. 

There is a mindset surrounding habit-building based on the assumption you need copious amounts of motivation to get started when really this isn’t the case. When trying to create a new habit you need to start small and easy so that it requires very little to no motivation. Once you’ve nailed the first step you then need to build on your new habit little by little. This will increase your motivation as you become more successful, especially if it’s helping you to work towards a bigger goal. 

Another important factor is time, this is where consistency comes in. A common myth is that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, a study published by Phillippa Lally suggests that it actually takes 66 days. This rule is also circumstantial depending on the person and their behaviours.

For example, when working towards a fitness goal such as increasing the maximum weight lifted, habits need to be built into your routine over a prolonged period of time. These could include stretching, progressive overload and a mixture of rest and active recovery but all require time and consistency as they are slowly built into your routine.

Based on my experience building a habit requires focus, a positive mindset and the want and need to build habits into your lifestyle to bring about change or achieve a goal.