I briefly touched upon the four rules of habit formation as elucidated by James Clear. He also included many small tips to help stay on course. The difficulty in picking a new habit and the tenacity it takes to have that habit become second nature is well known to everyone, and James Clear ensured that we have all the help we need, every step of the way.
The main tips that helped me stay with my habit of exercising are: Two-minute rule – for starters let the task be easy, accomplishable within two minutes! Like he explains in the ‘keep it easy’ rule, if the task is difficult, the motivation is lost. My habits started to stay with me only after I started following all the steps.
Like I have said many times before, my ardent wish to make yoga a part of my daily regimen has fructified only in the last one year, after I followed James’s advice to the T. I started my yoga with these baby steps:
Prepare for the next event – I start my day with Meditation, and I plan to do yoga after meditation. So, near my meditation seat are the socks ready for me. I finish meditation, write my journal, look at my socks and walk up to the shoe stand for my shoes. Next to my shoe stand is my yoga mat (my next cue as to why I was wearing those shoes!). Additionally, I also keep a moisturizer near the shoe rack😊! I have very very dry feet and suffer from cracks. Till I did not start this habit stacking I struggled to remember to apply cream! But now it is a natural next task, I pick my socks, go to the shoe stand, my eyes fall on my shoes with the moisturizer, and I apply cream, were my shoes, pick up yoga mat and I am ready. Once I am on the mat, there is no point in missing my yoga, so I of course follow through.
Keep it simple and within 2 minutes, stack the tasks so one follows the other seamlessly and you are not likely to miss on any, keeping a cue for the first task, and create the environment which encourages the habit. Only yoga was not enough for my long-term goal of losing weight, my future identity of seeing myself as a fit person. I created an environment where I had to walk to the kitchen to get my water, no more water bottle by my side. No sweets during the week, buy them only on Friday and just one or two so I finish them over the weekend, and I am back on track on weekdays. My environment helped me stay on course😊
If any other tips come to mind, I wont miss to share😊. I hope at least one reader is benefitted and wants to practice James Clear.
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