Your Step-by-Step Guide to Unlocking New Habits

There's no single, magical key to building and maintaining healthy new habits. The job requires a whole key ring full of effective strategies that, together, unlock enduring habits. And the order of execution matters. Some strategies, like fine-tuning goals, need to happen early in the process, whereas developing a trigger plan helps later on, when the going gets tough. 

Like a carabiner full of useful keys, here's your step-by-step guide to making a habit stick.

1. Plant your flag.
Think about the flag Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted on the moon. Imagine how impossible that goal seemed at first, and how much commitment was needed to make it a reality. NASA support is not necessary here, but we do need sky-high commitment to change our habits. The first step is to "plant your flag," boldly declaring your intention to pursue your objective. This means prioritizing your goal and devoting your energy and focus to it.

2. Believe you can do it.
If your self-talk is saying, "This will never work" or "I can't do this," your brain will spare you the effort of really trying. Before you tackle a new goal, boost your belief in yourself with the following strategies:

• Take inventory of what you have already achieved in life. These past accomplishments prove that you are a capable person. 
• Make a list of your strengths. Reflect on creative ways to draw upon these strengths to help you achieve your goal.
• Imagine what it will feel like after you've met your goal. If you want to run a 5K, picture that finish line photo op. 
• Take stock of the current habits or behaviors that may stand in the way of you meeting your goal. Understand that, while they once served a purpose, they don't serve you anymore. Don't beat yourself up for your unproductive habits. Just forgive yourself and then mentally release the habits. Let them go.

3. Shrink your goal.
Big, ambitious goals are enticing but can be totally overwhelming. The smaller your goal, the bigger your chance of accomplishing it. One study looking at weight loss found that 30% of people in the study with small goals achieved them; less than 5% of those with big goals did the same. When you achieve a goal, no matter the size, it offers you a jolt of encouragement and momentum.

Small means tiny, and doable means something easily achievable with minimal barriers to success. Examples of big vs. small goals include:

• Big: Eat healthier
• Small: Add one serving of vegetables to dinner
• Big: Run a 5K
• Small: Jog for 10 minutes twice a week
• Big: Eat fewer carbs
• Small: Integrate one protein (egg, yogurt, bacon) into breakfast

4. Make a trigger plan for setbacks.
Small missteps can knock us off course in our habit-building journey, which can lead to self-criticism and surrender. Having a trigger plan reduces the impact of any missteps because it serves as a buffer when you feel tempted to berate yourself. A trigger plan is a list of a few things you can do to recover your forward-facing mindset when you're having difficulty sticking with your new habit. It might include things like:

• Call a friend.
• Go for a walk around the block.
• Slow your breathing. Inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale for six seconds.
• Review your notes about your strengths.

5. Track your progress.
Seeing is believing. Keeping a log of your activities makes your progress concrete and visible, helping you stick with the habits you're building. One study found that users of the goal-tracking app MyFitnessPal who logged their weight more often in the first week were more likely to meet their goals. Use a journal or app to tally whenever you successfully execute a new habit, and take an extra minute to jot down how you feel, for later reference. You'll likely find encouragement in the upward trajectory of both.

6. Prioritize what feels good.
You need to feel well to do well. If the activities you're doing to move toward your goal feel like a burden, you're going to trudge through them, slowly, begrudgingly. If there's an element of the activity that's pleasurable, chances are good that you'll keep doing it. So, if you find yourself stalled, investigate with curiosity.

What part of the activity do you hate? Is there any aspect of it that's enjoyable? If you dread the treadmill but enjoy taking walks, maybe you'd prefer jogging outside. If hydration is your goal but drinking eight glasses of water a day is a slog, explore what might make it more palatable: Lemon, ice, or carbonation? If there's no way around a non-preferred activity, use tracking apps that offer rewards and motivators, which gamify your goals.

7. Recruit backup.
It's far easier to get yourself out the door for a walk when a friend is waiting outside. The sense of accountability to your friend is highly motivating, as is the pleasure of socializing, which can make an onerous task more appealing. Securing company when you're tackling a less-than-preferred task is known as body doubling, and it can be effective virtually as well as in person. Along with finding an accountability buddy to perform activities alongside, you can share your goals with a supportive friend who can be your sounding board and cheerleader.

8. Focus on yourself.
When forming habits, keep your eyes on your own life. Comparing yourself to others, their progress, or their process is a waste of the precious time and energy you could be devoting to tackling tiny goals. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, keep up with your daily logs, self-curiosity, and self-celebration. 

Remember to see the value in your journey, not just the end goal. Pursuing a habit is commendable in and of itself, and you should be proud that you've taken that step.