Is it time for a new routine?

Part of what I do for clients falls into the category of coaching since I will often help people set goals, brainstorm ways to achieve them, and hold themselves accountable for the goals they’ve set.  Usually the goals are simple, like drinking more water, deep breathing, setting an intention, or changing a lifestyle routine that in some way affects their health.

It varies with each person and what they’ve chosen to accomplish, but the question remains:  How do you start a new habit?  How do you catch your attention so you can create a new behavior?

Habits are often automatic and unconscious rituals.  Starting a new habit or routine takes a clear intention and a willingness to bend your attention in new and sometimes uncomfortable directions as you work to create new behavior patterns.  I’m going to lay out some basic ideas that have helped clients in setting new routines for themselves.  These are simple, basic, versatile, and hopefully take little effort to set up.

Clearly establish what your new routine is going to be. Do you want to start drinking more water?  Would you like to stick to a breathing practice?  Do you want to focus on staying in the moment or  practicing gratitude instead of negative thought patterns?  What do you want to do differently?

Be honest with yourself. Check in and make sure this is something you really do want to do.  How will this new routine add value to your life?  Is this a realistic addition?

Set reminders. This is one of the essentials.  There are a few options here.  You can add sticky notes to a surface you visit often, such as a monitor, laptop, refrigerator, or door.  You can set email or alarm reminders on your cell phone to go off at regular intervals.  Another good reminder is to simply place an object that represents your desired state of mind (such as gratitude) in an obvious place for you.

Some examples of how to put this into action–

Abby wants to start drinking at least 60 ounces of water a day.  She buys a 20-25 ounce water bottle and sets an alarm on her computer to fill it at 8am, at her lunch break, and before she leaves work.  She also puts sticky notes on her work table to remind her to drink her water between fills.

Let’s say Bob wants to take a moment every hour to take a few deep breaths.  He programs his cell phone to an alarm that vibrates every hour with a pop up reminder to take a deep breath.  Guess what?  After a while, he’s going to start taking a deep breath every time his phone vibrates, whether or not it’s a reminder.

Mary wants to remember to be present in each moment and not worry so much.  (I know this is kind of an abstract one, but stay with me; it’s a very real goal for many people.)  She finds a photo/symbol/artwork that represents this for her and posts it on the dashboard of her car, on her water bottle (since she’s great at drinking water!), on her mirror at home, and on her desk.

Honor your reminder. If you encounter the alarm, note, or symbol you left for yourself, take action!  Commit to following through with what you intended and don’t just brush it aside.  Be consistent.

Commit to a timeline. Plan to do this for at least a month.  Or two.  The idea here is that after a while these behaviors will become more automatic and natural and the nature of your reminders will evolve over time.  If you can commit to sticking to a routine every day for a month, your chances of incorporating it long term will be much improved.

Rotate your reminders every week or every month. Sometimes the notes or reminders we leave for ourselves become part of our landscape and lose their original spark.  Use different colors of paper for your notes, change their locations, change the timing, and do what you need to keep it fresh and noticeable.

Ask someone to follow up with you. This is another way I can be helpful for people.  I will check in with them on regular intervals to help them stay consistent, if they request it.  We can go over the effectiveness of their plan and tweek it if needed.  Finding a friend, family member, or coworker to fill this role is also a good way to go.  Having people that you can share this process with increases your success immensely.

Following these guidelines and keeping your goals simple can lead to very attainable and beneficial changes in your health and your attitude.  Let the task of creating new habits be an adventure in learning how you function and how you can consciously change your own automatic behaviors.  It’s fascinating.