Comments on: A new habit, one month in

By: Weekend Link Roundup – Nicole Dieker

Weekend Link Roundup – Nicole Dieker — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 12:29:30 +0000

[…] Laura Vanderkam: A New Habit, One Month In […]

By: Caroline Starr Rose

Caroline Starr Rose — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 22:07:32 +0000

I love a good chart. Being able to keep track of my progress and add a mark of completion makes me feel accomplished and keeps me in check. This year I’ve added a simple fitness goal to my regular gym and running routines — jumping rope for 300 days. I don’t have to do much, just 100 strokes minimum (though I don’t stop until I make a misstep. Sometimes this means I have to add 5-6 attempts to get to my goal. Sometimes this means I almost reach 300.) The chart has been a motivator and a reminder. I also tried to build the habit into already established routines (as James Clear suggested in ATOMIC HABITS). On gym days, I bring my rope and jump after class. On running days, I jump after I walk the dog.

It’s been satisfying and fun!

By: Anu

Anu — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 16:08:30 +0000

I actually picked up a habit pretty similar to yours about a month ago – doing strength training for ten minutes post baby bedtime each day. There are a number of reasons why this is an easy habit to make stick – ten minutes is a really short period of time, so there’s less room for excuses. 8 pm is baby bedtime each day, give or take ten minutes, and it’s a clear unambiguous trigger. I can turn Fitness Blender on our living room TV in a couple of clicks. We already have rubbery flooring there to make it easier for our toddler when he falls. And we stash the weights in a box underneath the couch, so they’re right there. Finally I’m enlisted my husband to do it with me, and we egg each other on (to be fair, more me egging him on, but that’s fun in its own way). All that said, we do end up skipping days – just feeling super tired out, my husband needs to get a bit more work in or I do. But we’ve been able to stick to it more days than not, which feels good!