How to Create Healthy and Long-Lasting Habits

One way to set goals is through the creation of SMART goals. SMART starts for:

S – specific 

M – measurable 

A – achievable 

R – relevant 

T – time-based 

The creation of goals is a great first step to wanting to see positive change. By having clear, SMART goals, individuals have a clear objective and can increase their motivation to achieve the goals in a specific time frame.

This is where systems now come into play. People have goals in different areas of their lives, however, if they do not change their system, they will always fall short of achieving their goals. Having a system-first approach can decrease the toxic mindset that if goals are not achieved, you have failed and are a disappointment. Rather, with systems, not only do you develop habits in your systems that create long-lasting goals, but you also create a lifestyle adjustment that increases your quality of life. 

So, how do we create these habits for our goals and systems?  

James Clear explains the habit loop, which is how we create habits automatically and how we can create habits intentionally.

“The cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue. Together, these four steps form a neurological feedback loop…that ultimately allows you to create automatic habits. This cycle is known as the habit loop”. 

For example: Have you ever felt so robotic in the morning while making a cup of coffee that you can probably do with your eyes closed? This is because you have created this habit with the habit loop. 

You wake up in the morning (cue), you want to feel energy (craving), you make and drink a cup of coffee (response), and you satisfy your craving (reward), thus creating the habit of drinking a cup of coffee every morning. 

Now, with all of this information, we can start creating new habits. 

Step one: Make it obvious 

This is the time to use the SMART goals, figure out what you want, when you want to do it, how long it will last, etc. 

Take the habit you want to create and stack it with an existing habit. This is called habit stacking. It helps individuals develop the cue in the habit loop by associating it with something else. 

For example, if your goal is to start a journal, you can stack the journal with your coffee in the morning. By putting the journal or a pen by the coffee machine, you are physically creating a cue for your brain to recall the habit of wanting to journal while you are making a cup of coffee. 

Step two: Make it attractive 

The reason why we do not already have these good habits is because they are things we perceive as hard or challenging, thus making them less attractive to our brains. By pairing these habits with things we do enjoy, we increase their attractiveness. By allowing our brains to be satisfied with something we love, followed by something challenging, and immediately followed by a new reward, we can build temptation and the desire to change. This step is associated with cravings in the feedback loop. 

If you have a craving to check your social media accounts but you know you need to finish a major assignment, you can connect both. When you pull out your phone, set a time for X amount of minutes. During that time, work on your assignment. Once the timer goes off, you can check your Instagram or Facebook page. By looping together something you want with something you need to do, the hope is to increase your motivation as you make the habit more satisfying. 

Step three: Make it easy 

This step is the core of the system. By making habits easy, you remove the excuse that they are hard. By decreasing the challenge of starting the habit, you increase the motivation to want to do it. One way to make a habit easy is by adjusting the environment where you will accomplish the habit. If you want to increase your movement by working out more at home, have your workout equipment, shoes, workout clothes, etc., out in the open ready to go, rather than buried deep in a box in the garage where it is already a challenge to pull it out. By priming your environment, you are physically changing your system to reach your goal as your system has become easier. 

Step Four: Make it satisfying 

Here, you can use a habit tracker to visually see your progress on a weekly, monthly, or even yearly basis. It would also be important to reward yourself for your habits. You can create a reinforcement schedule for yourself… after X amount of times you do the habit, you reward yourself with X. By making your habit satisfying, either visually, physically, or mentally, you can increase the odds of sticking with the habit. 

Building habits is hard! Remember to give yourself the grace and the space to make mistakes. It is your pace and it is your system. Do not feel rushed to build a habit. It takes time, patience, and motivation to change. The idea of wanting to create new habits is already one step in a positive direction!

James Clear said it best:

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger. Roots entrench themselves and branches grow. The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us. And the task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.”