This week we are discussing habits.  I think it’s important to take a look at good and bad habits before setting goals.  Often, it is our bad habits that get in the way of us achieving greater challenges.  On Tuesday, we reflected on our habits and yesterday we corrected our habits.  Today, let’s talk about putting good habits into action… and even more challenging: maintaining good habits.

I can do anything for a given amount of time.  But, it’s the maintenance that kills me.  I can clean my office ’til it’s spic-n-span… but, two weeks later, it’s a disaster again.  How does that happen?  And, this happens with any good habit: eating well, exercising, going to sleep early.  How do we maintain the good behavior we’ve fought so hard to get started?

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6 tips for MAINTAINING your GOOD HABITS

1 – CHECK IN periodically

I’ve found that I’m most diligent about maintenance on any project if I have a systematic “check-in” date.  For example, I always pay bills on Fridays.  This is ingrained in me and I can’t start my weekend until I do this.  It’s on my calendar and I can’t avoid it.  I input my accounting into quickbooks monthly.  (I will be completely honest here: I have it on my calendar to do this monthly.  I do sometimes get behind 2-3 months, but I don’t let it slip too far behind or else it gets insane to catch up.)  The point is… it’s important that once you set your habit, make sure you check in systematically on a date to ensure that you stick with it.

2 – WRITE it DOWN, make it VISIBLE

Visual reminders of your goals or good habits don’t let you ignore the task at hand.  Make it visible.  Visit our post on 5 WAYS to make your goals visible.  It’s hard to ignore when it’s in your face.

3 – GET a BUDDY

Find a buddy that is committed to the same goal as you.  Set up a time to check in with them, or work with them on your goal.  It’s soooo much easier and fun when you are trying to build good habits with someone else.  If you want to eat healthier, share that with your spouse and commit to it together.  Keep each other accountable.

4 – REFLECT on the POSITIVE changes

Early on, take time to reflect on the positive changes to your life as a result of your good habits.  Remind yourself of this often.  With my new sleep habit, I try to tell myself every morning that I achieve 8 hours of sleep: “I feel so rested and happy today!”  I’m sure this is partially a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I feel great in part because of the sleep, and in part because I am brain-washing myself to believe that sleep has something to do with it.  But, it works! You are a lot less likely to go back to a bad habit if you constantly reflect on positive changes in your life.

5 – REWARD yourself

Give yourself a prize!  Let’s face it: we are all about the gold stars on our projects.  So give yourself a gold star when you reach milestones in your new goal.  I have been working towards an iPad on one of my goals for the last several months.  Oh sure – it would be a hell of a lot easier to beg someone to gift me one for a birthday or holiday.  But, this has become an incredibly motivating lure for me.

6 – If you SLIP UP, START UP again

Once I fall off the horse, it’s REALLY hard for me to get back up.  I might exercise 3 times a week for 2 months religiously, but when I miss one time I lose all momentum.  I get really hard on myself, beat myself up.  And, then I’m just too annoyed with the whole thing to start up again.  This is the greatest challenge in maintaining a new habit for me.  I have learned that it’s OK to slip up… just get back up and keep going where you left off.

What do you think?  How do you stay motivated in order to maintain a new habit?