Creating a habit is a powerful way to achieve your goals.
It’s not as simple as counting to one, two, or three, but it’s just as easy as you were in getting distracted by your phone.
1. Introduction to Habit Formation
Before you even think about your task, go for a 5-minute walk. Yes, just get up and walk out of the blue. Don’t worry; the task will still be there when you return.
2. Start with a Simple Routine
Are you back? Head straight to the shower. While in the shower, think about what you want to achieve. Use this time to clear your mind and focus on what’s important. After drying off and getting ready, write:
"Today, I went for a walk and showered afterwards."
3. The Shower Ritual
Then, jot down your thoughts or ideas after the shower. Place this note somewhere visible and accessible. The next day, repeat the process—go for a walk and shower. But don’t read what you wrote down the previous day.
4. Daily Reflection and Comparison
On the third day, do the same routine, but this time, read what you wrote two days ago. Compare your current thoughts with your past ones.
Ask yourself:
What’s missing?
Does everything align with what I’m aiming for?
Did the shower empty my brain of ideas?
Once you feel clear and confident, get some rest.
5. Planning for Success
The next time you go for a walk and shower, take some deep breaths before you sit down to plan. Today is the day you start planning how to achieve your goal. As you plan, weigh the pros and cons of your approach. For example, I thought of setting up a text-based coaching program. The idea was to make it affordable for people who had little time. How original.
But then I asked myself: What if I have ten users? 100? 1,000? That could mean 2,000 monthly responses, with a subscription offering two questions a month.
What if I decided to ask unlimited questions?
That's a lot to manage.
What about lead times? Would I still have time for video chats and admin work? Certainly not, if it could work initially, but I would be so busy that it would upset my clients.
That’s when I decided to offer a paid newsletter instead. Once a week, my clients receive an in-depth article designed to help them. This also allowed for feedback so I could tailor the content to what people found most helpful.
6. Establishing Sustainable Habits
This process became a habit—reminding myself what needed to be done, writing it down, and reflecting on it later. Calendars are helpful, but sometimes, you feel like someone else is telling you what to do. And we know how we think about that, right?
Avoid notifications and train your brain to remember what needs to be done naturally. You’ll be surprised how close to the time you recall your tasks without even looking at a clock.
Once you’ve completed your task or goal, keep the routine going.
Continue walking and showering afterwards.
7. Understanding the Nature of Habits
Why walking? Why showering? The act of walking helps you sweat, and sweating is a signal to your brain that you need a shower. The shower, in turn, serves as a ritual for resetting your mind and getting fresh ideas. It’s not just about physical cleanliness but also mental clarity.
Five minutes of walking might not seem enough to justify a shower—but try 15 minutes. Any longer, and you could be too tired to focus, at least in the beginning.
The shower is just a ritual.
It helps you wash away distractions and refresh yourself for the next steps. By taking care of yourself first, you’ll be ready to tackle the other priorities.
8. Experimenting and Finding What Works
We are creatures of habit. Once a habit is formed, it’s hard to break—unless something critical forces you to. That’s why the reason behind your habits is so important.
You pray for a reason. You go the extra mile for a reason.
But the reason must be personal, not just something you mimic from someone else’s routine. It’s okay to experiment and try different methods, but in the end, you need to find what works for you.
9. The Challenge of Maintenance
Habits form through small steps, but sometimes they can also form through significant steps. You must ask yourself and convince yourself to establish a habit. Can you create a habit in 21 days? In 5 days? In 1 day? Yes, you can.
But the real question is: Can you maintain it? Is it sustainable? And why do we put numbers in such a thing?
Could it be because it is a way to measure, measure what? What did you need to do? Time is irrelevant unless you have a deadline.
Not everything has to be prescriptive. When constantly worrying about missing something, you will eventually forget it.
10. Conclusion: Finding Your Why
“Just do it” doesn’t always work. You need a reason—a reason worth fighting for.