{"id":41239,"date":"2016-07-26T21:13:27","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T05:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=41239"},"modified":"2019-03-02T15:38:16","modified_gmt":"2019-03-02T23:38:16","slug":"11-science-backed-ways-to-build-permanent-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/11-science-backed-ways-to-build-permanent-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Science-backed Ways To Build Permanent Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

According to researchers, habits account for 45 percent of our daily behaviors.<\/a><\/p>\n

That’s to say nearly half of what you’ll do today is the same as what you did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that\u2026<\/p>\n

Or, how about that a huge chunk of what you’re going to do in your life is already predetermined.<\/p>\n

However you want to say it, it’s clear that habits form a huge part of what you do and how you live on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n

Therefore, understanding how to build and maintain new habits is crucial if you want to make change in your life and shake up things like your health, fitness, spirituality, career, and happiness.<\/p>\n

But when it comes to the process of habit forming, the literature around the subject can be a bit and dull and repetitive (do it for 21 days, don’t give up, yada yada). Desperate to get out of my humdrum and monotonous lifestyle, last year I took it upon myself to seek out the methods that actually lead to habits that stick.<\/p>\n

This list is made up of the resulting 11 tricks that catapulted me out of the mundane and repetitive\u00a0and into\u00a0the life I\u00a0always desired.<\/p>\n

1. Get other people involved and become accountable<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no better way of sticking to something when a blow to your pride or ego is at stake. HabitShare<\/a> lets you take advantage of accountability<\/strong> by getting your family or friends in on your new deal with yourself. If that isn’t enough, they can even send you high fives and chest bumps to keep you motivated.<\/p>\n

2. Use an app\u00a0for super specific and manageable goals<\/h2>\n

A lack of the right tools is to blame for a lot of failed habits. The Strides app<\/a> keeps all\u00a0your goals and habits in an easy to use dashboard<\/strong>\u00a0and features flexible reminders and stunning charts for keeping on top of your progress.<\/p>\n

3. Visualize yourself as already having the habit<\/h2>\n

One major problem with forming a new habit is that you\u2019re not the person with the habit\u2014you need to grow into him\/her. Well, that process can be sped up\u00a0with the use of one of our own internal and incredibly under-utilised apps: our imagination. Practice visualisation for\u00a010-20 minutes a day<\/a>, imagining exactly what your life will be like<\/strong> and how you’ll feel<\/strong> once you\u2019ve mastered your new habit.<\/p>\n

4. Break the habit down into mini-milestones<\/h2>\n

Big tasks can be daunting and thus are the cause of many early drop outs. Focus on mini-milestones and small wins to feel you’re accomplishing something<\/strong> and give yourself that well-needed boost and keep the snowball\u00a0rolling.<\/p>\n

5. Track a concrete and consistent metric<\/h2>\n

Whether it be the\u00a0level of usage, performance, or improvement, every long term habit needs a metric to track. Always keep it simple and easy to remember<\/strong>, for example tracking the number of different vegetables you consume a day rather than the\u00a0number of calories.<\/p>\n

6. Plan incentives and reward yourself regularly<\/h2>\n

Habits fail in the short term as they’re often tiring\u00a0and unrewarding to start. Keep up the pace in these crucial early moments by setting incentives to strive for.<\/strong> For example, if you\u2019re trying to do yoga twice a week, plan a trip to your favourite restaurant\u00a0every time you reach a multiple of 10 sessions.<\/p>\n

7. Condense your motivation into a concise affirmation<\/h2>\n

Affirmations or mantras are powerful phrases<\/a> or sounds that are\u00a0repeated over and over again to solidify a belief. Find the deep underlying reason for making your new habit<\/strong>, whether it be to attract your ideal partner, prove to yourself you can do it, or make someone proud, and create an affirmation of a few words to repeat every time you\u00a0feel disheartened.<\/p>\n

8. Check in with yourself for feedback<\/h2>\n

Another\u00a0problem with habit forming is that we often become\u00a0overconfident with our new abilities and forget how miserable we once were. The no doubt best tool for traveling back in time and seeing how far you’ve come is the pen. Start to keep a morning journal<\/strong>, and in as little as\u00a05 minutes each morning you’ll gain\u00a0a whole new perspective\u2014as well as a lot more.<\/a><\/p>\n

9. Eliminate negative\u00a0behavior triggers<\/h2>\n

Negative behavior triggers\u00a0are the reasons why the habit hasn’t stuck in the first place. They are the environments, people, objects, and other external stimuli that trigger certain behavior to unfold. First, identify what they are, and then plan your day in such a way that you\u2019re least likely to run into or come across them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. Put your money where your mouth is<\/h2>\n

No-one likes to lose a bet, especially when there\u2019s money on the line. With the 21 Habit app<\/a>, you pledge $21 to say you\u2019ll stick to your habit for 21 days.<\/strong> Each day you succeed, you get $1 back. Each day you fail, you loose $1. Bet you can\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

11. Avoid emotional trigger states<\/h2>\n

Your emotional state is much like external triggers such as people and environments, but with one HUGE\u00a0difference: it\u2019s completely controllable. That means it’s within your power to avoid states like depression and boredom which lead to negative behavior<\/strong> and ultimately ensure you never deviate back into old habits.<\/p>\n

Joseph Pennington is a writer, mindfulness teacher, and the founder of Bebot, the world’s first AI mindfulness coach. You can try out the\u00a0Bebot Alexa app here<\/a> and sign up to make sure you hear the latest from Joseph and your new mindful robot friend.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to researchers, habits account for 45 percent of our daily behaviors.<\/p>\n

That’s to say nearly half of what you’ll do today is the same as what you did yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that\u2026 Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11063,"featured_media":42395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[32,24,21,112,6],"tags":[114,4949,1326,2552,4899,5087,1256,1081,5150,1080,1366,4539,3768,116,3790,1082,1139,3747,5149,4963,4582,66,3637,3507,4663],"yoast_head":"\n11 Science-backed Ways To Build Permanent Habits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"According to researchers, habits account for 45 percent of our daily behaviors. 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