Longview, WA 45°F
By Melanee Evans
Recently, I asked a few friends to think of a single, positive, life-boosting habit.
“Life would be so much easier,” confided Pamela Rust, a Longview artisan jewelry designer, “if I woke up early every morning, instead of working on web projects late into the night.”
Kelso resident Lorne Beach, an industrial vacuum technician, wants to expand his knowledge of the science of vacuum technology by studying his stack of industrial magazines. “There is new technology arising constantly,“ he told me, “and making time to read more often would expand my knowledge base so I could be more efficient.”
“Preparing my meals in advance, instead of eating on-the-go would save my waistline and my pocketbook,” said Jane McCormick, of Longview, a busy home-health care nurse and mother of six.
Like any good friend, I want to wave my sparkling wand and va-voom, transform their daily lives into streamlined synchronicity. Instead, I do the next best thing. I dust off my own stack of desired habits waiting to step up to the starting line, and take a good look. Things like meditate, write, kayak, hike, walk the dog, run the lake, practice guitar, learn Swahili, and nurture the garden all clamor for the spotlight. And it’s not like any of these habits are strangers to the track. Each has had its glory moment sprinting in the sun only to lose steam halfway through.
So in order for me to help my friends, I need to slow and steady walk my talk. I need to study the science of habit creation and give it a go before I can be an effective coach and cheerleader. I begin by studying everything I can on habits, and organize the ideas into bite-sized pieces. I then choose a single habit, wait at least a week to begin, go public with my habit, and commit to doing the habit daily for at least 30 days, no exceptions.
And guess what I learned? Creating a habit, like learning to ride a bike, is more of a skill than anything. It probably took practice and some instruction before the training wheels came off your bike, so be easy on yourself if you’ve struggled to make behavioral changes. With some knowledge and practice, your hair will be once again flapping in the wind like a flag and you’ll be sailing down the road with a smile of confidence.
Basic tips for successfully creating a new habit
• Choose one habit at a time. You’ll want to do more, but don’t. According to Leo Babauta, habit coach and author of Zen to Done, doing one habit at a time increases your success rate by at least 80 percent.
• Make it easy to do. Start with a small, daily do-able, preferably under five minutes and no more than 10, that you can maintain for several weeks. Things like: floss, meditate, write, set your alarm, read an article, hug spouse, put keys in bowl, take vitamins, pet dog, pack lunch, do yoga, take short walk.
• Do it consciously. A fantastic tip I learned from the e-book How to Change a Habit, by Scott Young, is to walk through the habit at least a dozen times before actually implementing it. In Jane’s case, she will first decide the time, place, and flow of her lunch prep routine. She will then do several practice runs. This will inform her of needed items, and create muscle memory for her new habit.
• Wait before you dive. Yes, wait. Sit on the edge of the board and wait at least one week before you dive. This essential tip builds momentum and allows you time to prepare your physical environment for success. For example, Lorne could decide that he will read just after dinner for 5 minutes, and place his basket next to his favorite chair by the window.
• Go public with your habit. Pamela might tweet, blog, text, email, post on Facebook, and verbally commit to friends and family that she is going to bed at 9pm, and arising at 6am.
• Do it for 30 days with no exceptions. Keep it simple enough to do it everyday, and build in flexibility for occasional setbacks.
• Reward yourself. Many times, the habit is the reward, but not always. Running, for example, can produce endorphins for some, but for others, it’s just hard work. If a reward isn’t built in, create your own, and link it immediately after you do the habit. You might watch a favorite TV program, take a bubble bath, shoot some hoops, or check Facebook.
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What new habits would you like to create? What's the best habit you ever consciously created and how did you do it? Please comment below Melanee's tagline.
In search of greater rhythm in her routines, Melanee Evans began the study and practice of creating simple habits, with impressive results. For example, instead of a random before-bed routine in which teeth brushing and sleep were the only steady staple, she now enjoys a string of desired to-do’s, like yoga, writing, and reading storybooks on the sofa with her three daughters. Melanee lives in Kelso and is happily married.Contact her at readytoglow@gmail.com
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