HABITS
We are all creatures of habit. We have habits because they're easy, comfortable, and familiar. They're decisions we make on autopilot that require little mental capacity. Habits are behavioural shortcuts.
Imagine if you had to think about which hand to pick a phone up with every time it rang, if you had to consciously deliberate on whether or not to brush your teeth in the morning, or put your seatbelt on when you got in the car. Luckily, habits mean we don’t have to.
Habits are powerful. We have good ones and bad ones. Waking up at the same time every day, drinking coffee, going to your favourite fitness class, getting takeout when you don't want to cook dinner, watching reality TV, procrastination, swearing, nail-biting, overspending, stereotyping, gossiping. The list goes on. Habit formation is the process by which new behaviours become automatic.
The core of every habit is a loop that has three parts. A cue, a routine, a reward.
Knowing your cues can help if you want to break or eliminate a bad habit. Creating a cue can help reinforce the development of a new good habit.
Think about how lockdown may have changed your habits, and why it changed your habits.
INTENTIONS
Intentions are formed from beliefs about the outcomes of a behaviour. Expected outcomes, e.g. I will get fit and therefore I will improve my health. Expected attitudes, e.g. this is boring or fun. Intentions are also formed or based on a person's perceived capabilities and the influence of their social environment e.g. my friends exercise and want me to exercise with them.
The probability of a behaviour occurring depends on:
· habit strength
· intention strength
· the environment
Good intentions can override bad habits if the strength of the intention is great enough and the cues that drive the habit response are removed. If we don’t remove the cues that drive undesirable habits, then conscious intention needs to battle with the cue or craving or behaviour response that is characteristic of habit.
Intention setting helps create new habits and allows you to work toward achieving your goals and aspirations. It takes intention, clarity, and commitment to develop habits that are aligned with your goals.
5 TIPS TO SETTING POWERFUL INTENTIONS:
1. Set the tone for your day (or week)
What do you have to accomplish? What do you need to prioritize? Focus on what is most important and what is going to get you one step closer to achieving your goals. Sometimes less is more. Prioritize tasks and obligations instead of rushing to get everything done. This allows us to be more present.
2. Set clear intentions that are aligned with your goals
Ask why are you setting this goal? Then ask yourself what are you working towards that will help you reach that next point? When you set clear intentions that are aligned with your goals, and your WHY, there is greater meaning behind your behaviour. When you ensure every action you take is productive, you are taking the right approach to achieving your goal.
3. Eliminate the word "can't"
Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. Self-confidence is a powerful tool. A crucial key to getting what you want in life is believing that you can have it. Stop saying "I CAN'T." I can't quit my job, I can't get organized, I can't quit smoking, I can't run, I can't cook, I can't lose weight." When you say you can't do something, you reinforce that message in your mind. Eliminating the word can't from your vocabulary will do wonders for your self-esteem. It is fine to not to want to do something in life (I get that), but it is important to acknowledge that if you wanted to you could.
Instead of "I can't" ask "How can I?"
4. Stay focused
Turn off all distractions, phone, TV, Computer and commit your attention to a single task. There are no prizes for being the world’s best multi-tasker. If you find your mind wandering, take a minute to breathe or even meditate then get back to the task at hand. Once you have taken a few minutes to slow down, relax, and practice mindfulness, it will be easier to get back on track.
5. Make your goals smart and visible
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Results-focused
Time-based
Reinforce these goals. Make lists. Write them down. Create reasons why you will succeed and why you are committed to your goals. Put them in clear sight - on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge, at your desk. Don't forget to measure your progress, be honest with yourself, and make changes when necessary.
GOALS
We all have goals. What's the first thing most of us think about when we consider how to achieve them? “I need to get motivated.”
Research shows motivation alone will not let you achieve your goals.
Research shows what pulls the desire out of you and turns it into real–world action isn't your level of motivation, but rather your plan for implementation.
Implementation Intentions
Implementation intention is a plan you make about when and where to act to achieve your goal. How you intend to implement a particular habit.
Give your habits a time and a space to live in the world. The goal is to make the time and location so obvious that, with enough repetition, you get an urge to do the right thing at the right time.
The cues that can trigger a habit come in a wide range of form. The two most common cues are time and location. Implementation intentions leverage both of these cues. Try stating your intention to perform a particular behaviour with the following sentence.
I will (behaviour) at (time) in (location).
I will meditate for 2 minutes at 6.30am in my lounge.
I will read for 15 minutes at 7pm in my bedroom.
I will exercise for 30 minutes at 6.30am in my garage.
I will plan my weeks meals for 30 minutes at 3pm on Sunday in the kitchen.
Sometimes you won't be able to implement a new behaviour no matter how perfect your plan. In situations like these, it's great to use the “if–then” version of this strategy.
You're still stating your intention to perform a particular behaviour, so the basic idea is the same. However, you simply plan for unexpected situations by using the phrase, “If ____, then ____.”
For example…
If I eat fast food for lunch, then I'll stop by the store and buy some vegetables for dinner.
If I get delayed at work today and I don't have time to work out this afternoon, then I'll wake up early tomorrow and exercise.
The “if–then” strategy gives you a clear plan for overcoming the unexpected stuff, which means it's less likely that you'll be swept away by the urgencies of life. You can't always control when ‘shit happens’, but you don't have to be a beaten by it either.
Achieve Your Goals
Plan out your behaviours rather than relying on willpower and motivation to inspire you to act.
To put it simply: planning out when and where you will perform a specific behaviour turns your environment into a trigger for action. The time and place triggers your behaviour, not your level of motivation.This shift in perspective allows your environment to act as a cue for your new behaviour.
What are your goals, habits and intentions going forward?
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