Anyone else glad when it gets to the end of the week and they can press reset?! This week I’ve been working in London and whilst it’s been exciting and packed with brilliant people, my eating, meditation and movement have been totally up the shoot as I’ve been out of my routine, so everything is out of whack.
My meditation was the first thing to get shelved (“I’m going to miss the train, I’ll do it later!” < this never happens, ever!), my overnight oats were over and out (not at home, so not prepping them at night) and I was popping coffees and late-night screen time like they were going out of fashion, hence my sleep was slayed. The saving grace was the sheer amount of walking London requires you to do, halleluyah.
MAKING WELLBEING A HABIT
All of this has reminded me of the power of habit when it comes to living well. We have so much vying for our attention, if we don’t make the behaviours that help us feel well part of our daily routine, they just don’t get space.
So how do we make them habits? Behavioural science shows it helps to start small – 30 mins of meditation is heroic, and unlikely to stick. Start with 5, and apply the same logic to all new habits you want to form.
Second, tag the habit onto something you do already (always forget your vitamin D? Put it next to the kettle, and take it before you drink your tea in the morning).
Third – set a trigger if you need one. A ping on your phone, a coloured post it, whatever catches your eye and makes you think YES, I NEED TO DO THAT THING!
And last, repetition is key – on average it takes 66 days to make a healthy habit stick – that’s about 2 months – and most of us give up before then, when we are still in the learning phase. Do the thing daily for 66 days and it become automatic – requires no conscious effort – and becomes part of who you are, and that’s where the magic lies.
Got a habit or two you want to get started with? Why not join me this November – I’m going to reset my sleep, sort my meditation habit and write every day (!) – and to help me, I’m going to retake the Tiny Habits 5 day 5-day method from Brian J Fogg – he’s a smart dude who knows alot about how to create habits that stick. Want to join? Follow this link, pop in your details and let me know how you get on…
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