Ritualize It

THE EASY WAY TO CREATE A HABIT

Want to create a new (HAPPY) habit?

habits, goals, productivity

The hardest part of creating a habit is remembering to do something new often enough that it becomes a default part of your operating system.

Attaching a fledgling habit to a pre-existing ritual is the easiest way to ensure that you don’t forget.

You’ve probably heard about people who put their yoga pants in the bathroom when before they go to bed. Wake up – go to bathroom (a pre-existing ritual) – see yoga pants and “oh yeah, I wanted to work out today.”

But what about creating the kinds of habits that make you feel less anxious, more present or happier?

Those habits require much more repetition before they stick – a lot more.

You can use the strategy below to create any type of habit. The examples listed here will create habits that make you feel, bit by bit, feel happier.

Here’s how create a HAPPY HABIT:

Start small. Choose something that’s easy to do. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- SMILE more (you can check out the Smile tool to get a bit of the science behind it).
- Treat yourself to a bit of AIR. You probably don’t realize how much of your day you’re actually holding your breath. Pausing to take 3 -5 deep (and I mean DEEP) breaths offers a host of immediate physiological benefits and elevates your sense of well-being.
- Log the GOOD STUFF. Our brains are wired to embed the negative things that happen and release the positive. By taking a moment to celebrate the small wins in your day you’re actually training your brain to be more balanced as well as happier.
Pick something you already do several times each day to anchor the habit to. For example, you could grin from ear to ear every time you use the text feature on your phone, or take several breaths every time to get yourself something to drink.
Once this tiny thing becomes a ritual, add another small thing. And so on…