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It is possible and you can do it. They key is formulating and following a simple and clear step-by-step plan to make what you want a reality. Of course that sounds easier said than done, but with a few scientifically proven methods, you may surprise yourself as to how easy achieving goals can be.<\/p>\n
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This year, get what you want<\/a> by forming new, healthier, smarter routines and habits to create a better you. Here\u2019s how it\u2019s done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Make it so easy you can\u2019t say no. – Leo Babauta<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n \u201cStart small\u201d is a trite and tired aphorism for a reason: it works. Let\u2019s be honest, you\u2019re probably not going to jump from the delicious gluttony of the holiday season<\/a> straight to a restrictive diet of 1200 calories a day. You\u2019re not going to wake up tomorrow morning and run 10 miles your first day out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And you shouldn\u2019t. Even if you manage that kind of amazing feat once, it\u2019s not likely to become a sustained habit. Making such extreme changes – especially physical ones – may even be risky for your health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instead, if shaping up is your goal, wake up tomorrow morning and do five push-ups (or whatever \u201cstarting small\u201d means to you). That can be difficult for those of us who have lived through glory days of powerlifting, marathoning or otherwise cultivating enviable waistlines and muscular definition. But it\u2019s key to start small, not just for the sake of your physical health.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you set yourself small, very achievable tasks, the likelihood that you\u2019ll complete them is that much greater.<\/p>\n Start small for weight management: eat only vegetables and lean protein for dinner. After one month, change your lunch to vegetables and lean protein only, too.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Want to start eating vegetarian or vegan? Want to cut out sugar? Follow your new diet 4 days a week. After one month, follow your new diet 6 days a week. After another month, switch completely to your new lifestyle.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Want to learn to speak Spanish? Memorize 2 new words a day. After one week, increase to 4 new words a day, plus twenty minutes a week of listening exercises.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n Start very small to give yourself a foundation of achievement and you\u2019ll find motivation for building upon this foundation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n American transcendentalist Henry Thoreau once wrote, \u201cIf you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.\u201d He\u2019s absolutely right – dreaming big is important. But make sure that you take the necessary small steps to building a solid foundation.<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You don\u2019t need a scientist to tell you that willpower isn\u2019t easy, but that\u2019s exactly what this study<\/a> did. It found something slightly disturbing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The researchers tracked judges who spent their days ruling on probation hearings – should the prisoner be granted or denied the right to be released from jail on probation? Any outside observer would hope that judges rule each case under equal circumstances – and perhaps in their conscious minds, they do. But the reality is that judges grow tired and demotivated just like the rest of us do.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWithout self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n As it turns out, in the very first hearing of the morning, a judge is 65 percent more likely to grant a prisoner probation. This number decreases throughout the morning, and then spikes again after lunch, leaping back up to 65 percent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While this might be upsetting news for our legal system, we can take other lessons from this study as well. Willpower fatigue is a real, measurable phenomenon. As the day goes on, we\u2019re progressively less likely to achieve what we swore<\/em> we would the night before. Even if you don\u2019t consider yourself a \u201cmorning person\u201d, give it a try and see if the science is right. Set out first thing in the morning to practice your new habit and you\u2019re much more likely to get it done.<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You might also think of this as \u201creminder, routine, reward\u201d. Whatever helps you remember this important process, use it. The suggestion originally comes from Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit<\/a>. He advises that a cue (or reminder) is something that prompts the positive behavior. The routine is the behavior itself. Finally, the reward is the benefit you reap from successfully completing the behavior.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sounds good, doesn\u2019t it? But how does it work in practice?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine you walk in the front door every day and you\u2019re greeted by your roommates. Together, you break out the snacks and wine, chatting about your office crush, complaining about your boss, and opening another bag of chips. As a reward, you enjoy the socialization and relaxation that comes from spending time with friends and consuming alcohol.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now imagine that after returning home from a long day at work, your roommates and you throw on some sneakers and take an easy jog around the park. Together you chat about your days, the jobs you really want and the weekend\u2019s upcoming events. As a reward, you enjoy the socialization and relaxation of exercising and spending time with your friends – same as if you had spent your evening snacking and drinking, but without the hangover and junk foods.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It helps tremendously if a behavior you want to perform is sandwiched by a reminder and a reward. If every time you get home from work, the first thing you do is change into your running clothes, it becomes routine – it feels strange if you don\u2019t do it. And if you experience the reward of socializing with friends and the high-inducing endorphins that come after a group run, you\u2019ll reinforce repetition of the behavior for the future.<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a slight variation from the \u201ccue, behavior, reward\u201d method, \u201cbehavior chain\u201d simply means that you do the same thing the same way every time. Research<\/a> has found this to be a simple way to form new habits, and the experiences of many successful people throughout history and around the world<\/a> has also shown it to be true.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cultivating regular, consistent routines is not easy – but that\u2019s exactly why you should do it the same way every time. Whether you\u2019re eating an egg, toast and coffee every day for breakfast just like Abraham Lincoln<\/a>, going for morning bike rides with your wife like Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz<\/a>, or drinking coffee in the same diner booth every time like David Lynch<\/a>, create your own behavior chains to keep your progress towards your goals on track. Once you\u2019ve completed the new behavior chain for a few weeks, it will feel like second nature.<\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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Practice your habit first thing in the morning<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Cue, routine, reward<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Create \u201cbehavior chains\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Visualize the process<\/strong><\/h2>\n