let’s reflect.
At Good Human Work, we believe that real change takes time. We learn, we reflect, we practice change, we rest, we repeat.
January 4, 2023
Create Healthy Habits, Not Resolutions
Let’s learn.
This year don’t bother making resolutions. If you want real, sustainable change to meet your goals, then what you really need to do is build healthy habits. When it comes to developing habits, there are specific keys to success.
Our brain has a limited reserve of willpower. This means that unless you develop healthy habits, it’s only a matter of time before you grab the next cookie.
So whether you’re looking to improve your health, home, relationships, work-life balance, or pick up a new activity or hobby, in all areas of life it’s essential to think about how you approach your new goals.
Let’s reflect.
Why do we so easily give up on resolutions? It’s hard to start or stop a habit. We’ve all experienced the struggle. Even more, our resolutions are frequently too big, or we expect progress too quickly. It’s hard to stay motivated.
When creating a habit, we can’t just use motivation or willpower. It’s important to know how to use your brain as an asset in this. For humans, decision-making is a limited commodity, meaning that your willpower will deplete based on how much you’ve already used in a given day.
One simplified way to think of it is like this:
At the beginning of the day, you have $100. Let's say that each decision you make today costs $1. Here’s what the first few minutes of a typical morning might look like:
Will I eat breakfast? What will I eat for breakfast? What will I wear today? Where did that shoe go? Where are my keys? Do I have time to stop for coffee? Where is a parking spot? Can I avoid talking to this person on my way in? How do I respond to this email? Can I delay this until later?
You could easily spend $10 out of $100 in just the first hour or two of the day. By evening, there will be little, if any, left. Which is why it’s harder to resist temptations and make good decisions later in the day.
To increase your brain’s willpower and thought processes, here are a few tips:
Eat healthy foods at regular intervals during the day. Your brain burns more calories than any other part of your body. It needs fuel in order to not lose focus and energy.
Take mental breaks and use mindfulness to take care of your mind.
Streamline as many of your choices as possible. Simplifying food or clothing choices and creating routines that are consistent day to day. The fewer trivial decisions you make, means there is more energy for higher-impact choices (like whether to work out later, skip dessert, or read a book).
Let’s practice change.
How do we build healthy habits? When we start on the journey to something new or try to achieve a goal, we’re stepping into a new space, asking ourselves to evolve and grow. It takes courage and determination, while at the same time can give us energy and enthusiasm.
Be patient. On average, it takes much longer than you imagine to develop a new habit. (Hint: The 21-day “rule” is actually closer to a 60-day rule!)
Visualize your life with this new habit. Imagine how it will impact you and what you’ll be doing differently. Assume it will become a habit.
Make it a priority. Include thoughts about this into your most high-functioning time of day, before the willpower depletes.
Don’t give yourself a choice. Include this in your schedule, plan for it, and make it a real part of your ongoing life.
Use your self-talk. Internally, speak as if this is already part of who you are. We believe what we tell ourselves and live it out. For example, you can say, “I am a healthy eater,” or “I am a runner”. Over time, you will begin to live this out.
Be compassionate with yourself. When we’re kind to ourselves it’s easier to recover from stress, be resilient, and keep trying at something new.
Know you’re not alone. It’s easy to feel isolated in your own experience, but when we remember that we’re not the only one, we defuse shame and make space for change. Finding support and accountability can be helpful.
Break it into smaller pieces. Identify the small baby steps you can take in the direction of your larger goal or habit. Work to take these small steps, but know that there will probably be times when you misstep or fall. If there comes a time when you don’t follow through on your promise to yourself see if you can practice self-compassion and begin again.
Celebrate progress. Pay attention to your progress and what you feel proud of. When you notice your brain focusing on what you don’t have or haven’t done, return instead to what you want to encourage.
We build lasting change in small increments over time. Our baby steps are valuable and the more we appreciate and celebrate them, the further they take us. Know that it takes time and every small action toward your goals will matter.
