“Your net worth to the

world is usually determined by what

remains after your bad habits are

subtracted from your good ones”― Benjamin Franklin

In this short series of articles we will learn how to design your lifestyle through habits. Why do people fail so often when developing habits? Are there tools which could help you develop habits successfully? Which habits are most beneficial? And what is the best method to develop them?

In this first article, we will learn about most common mistakes in habit development and ways to avoid them.

How many times have you tried to start exercising regularly or waking up early every day?

People are overwhelmed with information. Our brain capacity is limited, impacting number of decisions we can make. That’s why we have a tendency to free up cognitive capacity by developing schemas. In fact, scientists estimate that 40% of day’s decisions are repetitive. We see the same cues and develop cookie-cutter responses to manage them. These are the building-blocks of habit. Habit is an action superseding decision-making. Our entire lifestyle has been reduced to a series of habits. We understand the importance of healthy living and attempt to do the right thing. But, most of the time we fail to develop new habits. Here’s why:

Too much, too soon. If I start going to the gym 4 times a week with each session lasting 2 hours, I will surely quit after a couple of weeks. The key is to start small and minimize your efforts. So that the effort won’t be dangerously outside your comfort zone. The 21 days myth. Research indicates that it takes 15 to 254 days to develop a habit. If you see programs or tools claiming that habit development is easy and quick, don’t waste time with them. Different people develop habits differently. Also they all have different circumstances and methods to form the habit. Motivation is not enough. Being highly motivated helps, but it doesn’t last long enough to form a habit. Will-power is really helpful for achieving short-term goals. But it will not sustain the necessary approach to form long-term behavior changes.“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” We blame ourselves when we fail. Missing something while developing a new habit is not a big deal. But it becomes bigger once you guilt yourself for not going to the gym. Studies show that “missing an opportunity” didn’t affect habit formation process. In other words, messing up a little here and there doesn’t actually hurt that much.

If you start going to the gym often and take up an intense training regimen, it’s more likely that something will interrupt your new routine. If you spend your time feeling guilty for missing a training session, you’ll be less inclined to go back.

Consistency is the key to successfully develop habits! Start small. For instance, try putting your gym outfit next to your bed and changing into it after work every day. Then go for a walk, then a longer walk, then a run. Be mindful while you do: enjoy the fresh air, great views of the street, nice sea breeze, beautiful sunset etc. Find a rewarding feeling or memory. This is how you create the craving for going outside and running. Once you feel comfortable you can go to the gym and try something there. Again, start small. Stop and go home as soon as you feel that it’s taking too much effort and you’re no longer enjoying it.

You can “design” your lifestyle the way you want it and become the person you want to be.

Next time, we’ll cover best practices for efficient habit-formation.