How to Make Better Habits Stick According to Behavioral Science
We had a friend in high school who could ride a unicycle. He didn’t just wobble around. He could hop off a curb, turn on a dime, and balance in one spot for as long as he liked.
He really made it look easy. But when any of us tried to ride his one-wheeled-bike, none could stay upright for more than a fraction of a second.
Our friend admitted that the day he’d first got the unicycle, he couldn’t ride it either. Or the day after that. Or the day after that. In fact, it took him numerous sessions where he braced his hand against the garage door, put his feet on the pedals, and the moment he let go immediately tipped over.
So how did he master this seemingly impossible skill? He accepted the fact that he was going to fail a lot at first and simply worked that into his plan to succeed.
Right now, many of us are trying to establish some healthier habits for the new year. And it’s at this point in January when it feels like we’ve gotten on a unicycle. Whether it’s something we want to start doing (like regular exercise) or something we want to stop doing (like snacking in front of the TV), we’re finding it tough to reform our daily habits.
No wonder this is the point in the new year when most people conclude that change is impossible and just give up.
But according to behavioral scientists who work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), when trying to establish a new habit, failure is an important part of eventual success.1 You simply need to learn from it.
NIH researchers give the following tips:
Before attempting any new habit, accurately record the habits you have now. Look for patterns in your unwanted behavior—things that trigger you to fall back into undesirable actions.
Create a written plan with the specific actions you need to take to reach them. Be sure to include easily achievable goals for early success.
Keep a record of how you do. No matter if you have more failures than success, commit to writing down what happened each day. Since we often learn the most from failures, they are a key ingredient for eventual success.
Finally, cut yourself some slack. You may need to try several different methods before you find one that works. Just because you aren’t meeting with immediate success, doesn’t mean it’s time to quit.
Physical health is as important a component to a fulfilling retirement as financial health. In both cases long-term success is not determined by lack of failure, but by a refusal to give up.
As your trusted advisor, we’re here to help you work through your unique plan based on your particular life situation. Every successful client we’ve worked with has had to overcome setbacks. Our role is to guide you with expertise as well as hold you accountable to your future self.
