My new habits never stick, what am I doing wrong?

Hi Chris,

Every time I try to start something new, such as taking up running or eating better, I eventually drift back to my old routine. No matter how determined I am! What can I do to make these changes stick?

Difficult Changes!

Hi Difficult Changes!

Making permanent changes to your lifestyle is very difficult, so don’t feel bad.

You’re much more likely to succeed if you make a concrete plan. For example, instead of vaguely deciding to start running, make a definite plan for the week: “Run for 10 minutes on (day 1, 2, etc.) at (time 1, 2, etc.) in (place 1, 2, etc.).” Do that every week and you’ll soon become a regular runner!

It’s also important to focus on one new habit at a time because if you try to tackle several goals at once, you’re much more likely to fail.

Keep Reading

A new habit requires real conscious effort when you first start, so it’s easy to let things slip. But after a while, it gradually becomes easier. Eventually, it just becomes part of your normal routine.

However, that only happens after lots of practice. The more you practise, the more automatic the behaviour becomes. The tipping point at which a new routine becomes self-activating varies depending on your personality and the size of the change, but on average, it takes around 60 days.

So, for example, if you’re trying to make it a habit to go for a run before breakfast, it will be hard at first to get yourself out of the door. But after a month, it will have become your normal routine. After two months, you’ll be annoyed if anyone tries to stop you!

Successfully creating a new habit means making a definite plan for how you’re going to implement it, focusing on just one change at a time and practising regularly. Then, after around two months, it will gradually become automatic.

So never try to remodel your entire life at once! Focus on creating one new habit at a time, work on it until you master it and then move on to the next one. One new habit at a time.

All the best,

Chris