The Self Nurtured TeacherTM
The Self Nurtured TeacherTM
In BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits, he shares the importance of creating a habit recipe that gives you the results you are looking to change. In a recipe for baking or cooking, having the correct ingredients, heat, time, etc factors into the success of the final dish. The same is true for a habit recipe. Discovering the factors that help you have success when introducing a new habit will help you tweak and determine the best way to create a habit that sticks! Here are 3 Steps to Create a Habit Recipe for Positive Change:
Identify a simple behavior you’d like to add or get better at. This behavior should be extremely simple and something that will help move you closer to your goal or desired result. Keep it something you can do in under 30 seconds. For example, if your goal is to work out regularly, your behavior could be performing ten push-ups every day.
In order to determine the simplest form of the behavior, do some backwards planning. Decide what your ultimate goal is and work your way backward with all the steps needed BEFORE you would achieve that result. Once you have those steps, start with the first one!
Make sure the behavior is achievable and that you have the resources and time to do it. If you have never worked out before, 10 push-ups might not be an achievable goal. If you have a busy day at work, you might not have time to do 10 push-ups. A good place to start is with everyday self care habits that you might be neglecting. I talk about putting self care routines and anchors in this blog post.
BJ Fogg talks about anchoring your new behavior to something you are already doing consistently, basically a habit that is already in place. Creating anchor habits can be a great way to help you stay on track and achieve your goals. An anchor habit is a small, simple action that serves as a reminder of your goals and helps you stay on track. There is a greater chance of success when you have a trigger action that you are already doing to move you into the new behavior you are wanting to form a habit for.
For instance, I like the dishwasher being emptied first thing in the morning. The problem was it wasn’t getting done consistently in the morning because not all family members get up at the same time. I decided I would take on this chore. When I started my habit I thought about what I am already doing consistently first thing in the morning. I take my medications immediately when I enter the kitchen. My meds are in the cabinet above the dishwasher. Viola! My dishwasher habit would be in the morning after I take my medications.
Now, I realize this task takes a little longer than 30 seconds, but it is less than 5min. and doesn’t take much skill. The habit stuck and continues to be completed 95% of the time. If the habit didn’t stick, then I anchored my new behavior to the wrong time or task before. This is where the recipe idea comes into play. When developing a habit recipe, just like a cake recipe, if it doesn’t turn out right the first times, you play around with the factors until you find the one that works!
The final piece of habit recipe creation is in the recognition of following through with the new behavior. Motivation to take action comes from TAKING ACTION. You want to make something so compelling that you will take action, even if super simple, which creates a sense of accomplishment which leads to positive thinking, which leads to wanting to do it again.
Celebrating your follow through begins to rewire the self talk you have and keep you in a positive frame of mind about the progress you’re making. Create a celebration that speaks to YOU!
You get the idea. The celebration is quick and simple, yet MEANINGFUL for you!
Don’t overthink it. Go in with the idea that it’s a new recipe that may need tweaking, and if you never start, you’ll never know how good it can feel! Keep it super simple. Once you get going with simple steps, you’ll feel compelled to take it to the next level with the next step.
BJ Fogg has a GREAT resource that you can get for FREE. There are many habit recipes written that you can choose from and try based on the areas that you want see a positive change.
Grab my FREE Year in Review & Fresh Start Workbook to guide you through the various areas of YOUR life to determine where is the best starting place for you and your life.
