Lessons I've learned throughout the years to keep up with my habits.
Nothing will make you skip your habits more than the lack of motivation
- Believe you can
- Watch motivational videos
- Find people on your same path and share your progress
- For every new habit, write down the ultimate reason behind it, so you don't forget why you are doing it
- The less ingrained a habit is, the more will power is required to carry it out. Start small
- Too many new habits drain will power, add one a week at most
- Remove obstacles so you can save will power. It's easiert to go to the gym if your snickers are already in front of you.
"Near miss is almost a win for addictive gamblers" The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg
- You will lose motivation if you fail complete. Halfass it at least
- Set cues that remind you of triggering the habits, such as alarms
- Be brave enough to tell yourself to stop making up excuses not to do what you are supposed to
- Have a cheat day to keep your life balanced
- Compensate your body with rest when you have pushed yourself too much
- When you feel super tired during the day, take 15-min naps, no more than that
- Every day write down which habits you completed and which ones you didn't. Then fix for the next day
- Have progress indicators: They will allow you to keep track of your progress (see apps below)
- Read your habits daily so you always remember them before making any decision
1. Loop
It allows me to add widgets to my screen for every habit I have. So I constantly see them and check them thoughout the day. The simples and quickest way I've found so far:
2. Wunderlist
To keep tracks of my ToDos. I've tried hundreds of apps, and Wunderlist seems to be the best match for my needs. Also use the widget to add todos on the fly (useful for meetings so I can quickly add my tasks).
3. Google Keep
I use the Keep widget to be able to add notes on the fly, like when I have a genius idea and I am in the middle of a meeting (yeah, I don't pay too much attention during meetings 😅)
I don't recommend using Keep as a ToDo app. Just put stuff there during the day, and MAKE SURE to review/erase your notes by the end of the day, or it will be full of stuff in no time.
4. Clear Lock
To block apps for a few hours (specially when I am checking Twitter or WhatsApp very often and I really need to work)
5. App Block
To block apps at given times or days during the week. For example, you can block social media and email in the mornings during weekdays.