Developing new effective habits

A lot has been written on how to change and develop new habits that will serve you in living your life more effectively. Through our work with hundreds of people committed to developing new habits, here are ten tips that work.

• Commitment - It has been documented again and again that a new habit can be developed in 30 days if one is committed. The first 30 days are critical, so be committed to your future
  and make it happen.

• Put it in existence - Write it down, post it online, tell others about it - the more existence systems you have in place the more present the new habit will be and hence your odds of success improve.

• Get Daily support - Find a friend or coworker or anyone who will support you daily. Try a morning e-mail or phone call with a friend who is also developing new habits in their life.
• Be Consistent - When starting a new habit or practice, do the same thing again and again. This eliminates the need to make a decision on what to do as that indecision often leads to breakdowns.
• Focus on the Benefits – Nothing is more motivating than focusing on the results that will come as you build your new habit into your life. The more often and deeply you can do this, the more motivation you will have, and you will need lots of motivation to make permanent changes in your life.
• Develop a ritual – Having a ritual before starting a new habit can be extremely helpful. Maybe you do the same thing every morning just as you turn your alarm off and begin some daily stretching.
• Plan in advance – New habits often get interrupted when we don’t plan in advance for possible interruptions and breakdowns. Try to plan in advance so that vacations and family visits don’t interrupt your early habit development.
• Think holistically – Don’t let your new habit come at the expense of other domains in your life. If you are focusing your new habit on your career, be sure you don’t neglect your body.
• Use Professionals – If you are starting a new work out plan, get a personal trainer. If it’s a new diet, use a nutritionist or doctor. If it’s a new budget, get a financial planner. When we enlist the help and support of professionals, we have a much better chance of successfully changing our habits and our lives.
• Celebrate often – This one is critical and very often missed.
  Celebration keeps us excited and helps us reward ourselves for the work it takes to make a new habit stick.
  Celebrate the day you start, Celebrate your first complete week, Celebrate half way through and definitely celebrate when you get through the first 30 days of your new habit.