How To Develop Habits

Human heart and mind is like a stone slab which was used in ancient times for writing inscriptions. The inscription started to be carved from the day we opened our eyes and since then there were new things written, erased and re-written every day. Human habits are the part of these inscriptions and they need constant changing and re-writing. The quandary situation here is that the positive habits won’t get inscribed on their own unlike the negative one’s which come as a compliment of human experiences. Good habits require a writer, and the writer is the person himself. Now it depends on the writer how he/she goes about carving out the good habits on the slab which will become the input for the body to function. This makes it clear that instilling a good or eradicating a bad habit is a conscious effort that needs to be carried out with great deal of discipline, determination and thoughtfulness. To grab the tips on developing conscious habits read on.

 

Self talking is the best way in which you can instill any good habit and give up a bad habit. Keep speaking to yourself about the change which you want to see in yourself. Repeat the statements which will help affirm the particular new habit which you want to create a part of your daily life.

Another effective way in which you can incorporate a new habit consciously is by imagining yourself performing the action relating to the new habit. Visualize yourself performing the new activity or a role and see how good you sound and look. This visual imaginative role that you will see yourself in, will help you easily make the habit a part of your daily routine.

 

It can so happen that you want to bring about a number of changes in your behavior at a time. In such a case take up a single change that you want to see in yourself and start practicing it daily consciously for 30 days at a stretch. After 30 days you will realize that you no more need to practice the change you want to be because it has now become a habit. After 30 days you can take up the next endeavor.

 

A trigger is a small ritual which you perform before getting used to a habit. A simple habit which you want to inculcate like not watching excess of television, can be triggered by setting a self-timer in the television. The time you want the television to get switched off, set the timer to that time so that the T.V will get switched off, forcing you to engage yourself in something more productive. You can use such small triggers to consciously develop a habit.

 

Replacement is the key word to develop a new habit. In order to remove something from the system without damaging the other files it is necessary to fill in the gap which was created due to the removal of a file. Similarly if you are giving up a habit you need to fill up the free space by a habit that fulfill the same requirement as the old habit. For eg. giving up watching television means you need to find some other relaxation medium for yourself. This approach will make it simpler for you to get used to the change you want to be.

 

A prominent habit changing step can be to force out all the negative thoughts from your mind. The moment you think negative about yourself and find yourself incapable of taking a strong stand, use the word ‘but’ and bring in the positive about yourself. This negative positive game will help develop your self-confidence and will make you believe in the change you are going to make.

 

You can even write down a particular habit in a piece of paper and stick it to a place where it will be visible to you. This will keep reminding you about the commitment you made to your brain and will help you in working towards living that change you wished for.

 

Catch hold of your sibbling or a friend and hand them over a 100 rupee note. Instruct them to return you the note only if you successfully cross all the hurdles to reach your goal. Make a public commitment in front of everyone you know that you will stick to your plan. The necessity to keep up your words and dignity will force you to consciously work towards developing the new habit. 

 

Changing for the good is beneficial both to your personality and to others as well. But, you should keep in mind that changing is a small process and your body and mind should first get used to the new introduction. Therefore, don’t get too harsh on yourself and keep only one or two rules simple rules and not a dozen rules regarding the new habit. Simple rules will help you create habits, whereas complex rules will just put you in a more complex puzzle.

 

The point of a habit is that it doesn’t require thought. Make sure that your habit is consistently being followed everyday without fail. This consistent performance will drill in the habit in you instead of multiple habits loosely conditioned.