When you work in a high-stress field where your focus is on others, it can be all too easy to put yourself last. That healthy meal plan you wanted to try? Maybe next week That early bedtime? Not tonight. That meditation practice? Maybe next year. If this sounds like you, behaviour change techniques can help big time in creating new habits and reaching your goals that will lead to a life of fulfillment.

In this article, we’ll explore 5 tips for how to stick with a habit by tapping into behaviour change techniques. But don’t worry—this isn’t about a complete overhaul of your life. The process is simple and achievable. Here’s a sneak peek:

• Start small and stay specific

• Focus on one new habit at a time

• Prepare for setbacks

• Make it foolproof

Let’s dive in!

How to stick with a habit using 5 behaviour change techniques

1. Start small

If you have your sights set on the finish line at a marathon, you need to put in a few practice laps before you run the race. The same is true for any habit. Starting small enables you to get a taste for success early on in your journey. 

For example, it’s much easier to say “yes” to just one or two minutes of meditation practice—and to complete it—than it is to commit to a half-hour practice, in which you might get frustrated and give up mid-way through. As you build the habit, increase the time you dedicate to it each day or week. 

TLDR: What’s a version of your habit that feels easy to YOU (not anyone else)? It must feel simple, doable, and not like an onerous task.

2. Be specific

In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, he talks about the power of specificity. This is how to achieve what you want in life: give yourself a time and a place to make it happen. 

For instance, if you want to learn a new language, deciding that you’ll practice in your office at 6 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will get you a lot further than simply saying, “I’ll practice as much as I can.” Specificity leaves no room for questions or confusion, which is why it’s one of the most powerful behaviour change techniques you can use.

TLDR: Use this format when writing out your goal - “I will HABIT in LOCATION at TIME.” This ‘recipe’ for a habit makes it clear exactly what you’ll be doing, where, and when.

3. Form one new habit at a time

When you’re feeling motivated and excited about the ‘new you,’ it’s easy to get sidetracked. If starting small and being specific about the habit you’re building is working well, you might be tempted to throw another habit into the mix to master. The data tells us that this would be a mistake, my friend.

As James Clear says, “researchers found that people who tried to accomplish multiple goals were less committed and less likely to succeed than those who focused on a single goal.” So, identify your top priority and keep your eye on the prize.

TLDR: Your efforts are best focused on one goal at a time. Resist the urge to overcommit.

4. Prepare for setbacks

Knowing how to achieve what you want in life is more about perseverance than rigidity (say it louder for the people in the back!). In other words, it’s less important for you to exercise or meditate every. single. day. than it is for you to quickly bounce back if you miss a day once in a while.

Having a plan for when setbacks happen will help you focus on getting back up rather than wasting valuable time. For example, it can be as simple as the difference between deciding you must meditate for five minutes, seven days a week vs. 35 minutes in total. Or, give yourself permission to write off five minutes for the day you missed. You’re in charge; the key is to recover quickly from the setback.

TLDR: Be nice to yourself when you mess up. The most successful folks have failed many times - but they don’t let small failures stop them for good.

5. Make it foolproof

If you’re not an early riser, waking up at 5 a.m. to learn a new musical instrument isn’t the best strategy for how to stick with a habit. It’s more like rubbing salt in a wound. So, give yourself a break. Try behaviour change techniques like making it not only easy, but attractive and satisfying, to dedicate time to creating your new habit.

James Clear refers to this concept as The Four Laws of Behaviour Change. When something is obvious, easy, attractive, and satisfying, we’re more likely to want to complete that task. 

TLDR: This is about self-awareness. What tweaks will make your new habit obvious? (Leaving running shoes by the door). Easy? (Five minutes of reading vs. one hour). Attractive? (Running on a trail with a friend vs. a treadmill). Satisfying? (Give yourself a reward for achieving a certain milestone).

Create a new habit with private or group meditation

Meditation is a simple practice that brings more presence to each moment of your life, so you can live more joyfully, with more fulfillment, and feel less stress and anxiety. If you’re looking to get started with meditation, my Modern Meditation course can help.

Contact me to book a 1:1 private course, or gather your friends and colleagues for a group meditation course scheduled at your convenience.