Habit forming is hard, but worthwhile
I’ll be on honest, the title of this article is a bit of click-bait, though it is something that I am truly working on. A big habit I want to implement (again) is to regularly post here on my site. Take this as an affirmation for me to do so! I posted here last back in November after the Web Summit, which is just way too long of a gap not to write. I am also experimenting with new ideas to add more content to the site, which can also add in failures like this ‘map’ post I made earlier this week. But from failures we must learn!
Implementing the habit of writing on a more consistent basis is something easier said then done. In fact it’s not the first time that I’ve said this recently in terms of this blog. Nonetheless, I will share with you some of the habits that I’ve been forming next to my attempts to write more often, and how I’ve been doing it.
Setting measurable habit goals
For me, this is still the biggest challenge. The idea behind setting measurable goals is to benchmark and to ensure that you have something towards. By the first two months of the year have passed, most people forget or give up on the New Year’s resolutions they have set up. Probably one of the biggest reasons individuals are not able to meet a new habit is because the goals that are set are vague or arbitrary. This comes in the form of ‘I want to be healthier’ or ‘I want to learn a new language’. Setting measurable goals allow us to set up a process that allows us to create habits to meet those goals. So instead, goals that form a new habit should be set such as ‘I want to lose 5 kilograms (11 pounds) by June’ or ‘I want to be proficient at a B-1 level of language fluency in 4 months’. After marking down a date in the calendar that you want to accomplish your goal and set a new habit, you can work backwards to meet that reality. Tim Ferriss talks about this in his conversation with Joel Stein in his latest podcast at the 12:39 mark, I absolutely recommend listening to it.
Set a habit time
The easiest way to form a habit is to pick a set time on a daily basis, or on a couple of select days. In August/September this I will be moving to Bologna, Italy and in preparation I want to learn how to speak conversational Italian. Before I went to work in Rajasthan, India back in 2013, I spent some time trying to pick up Hindi to the point that I could slowly read the majority of the letters and form words. Though I could never truly go past the simplest conversations, speaking Hindi with people went a long way. But I digress. For learning Italian, I am using Duolingo as my habit tool. In order to insure that I practice everyday, I’ve set times that work well with my schedule. Three mornings a week I commute for work to Amsterdam or Rotterdam with the train. As soon as I get on the train, I open up the Duolingo app on my phone, and I begin my lessons for the day. When I’m not commuting, I’ve set the habit to practice right after I wake up and have set coffee. If for some reason I don’t remember to Duolingo, I’ve set up the app to send me a reminder at 8pm. At the time of writing, I’m at a 2-week streak. My goal is to keep it up with few breaks until I’ve worked my way through all of the lessons or hit the B1-level of fluency by the time I am in Italy.
Using a tool like Duolingo is also a great choice for a habit tool. Habit tools allow us to meet the goals we set and to be consistent at our habit time.
Have a habit partner
For some harder habits, its without a doubt best to have a partner that is also trying to meet a similar habit or can help you with your goals. Duolingo does this well with its built in gamification that allows you to compare to your Facebook or Google+ friends. Though I need to set better measurable goals for it, getting into shape is a goal I am seeking to accomplish this year. Next to learning to eat better, exercise is a big component to this. Together with my flatmate Drew, we have come into a habit rhythm that is set. Every Monday and Friday evening we must go to the gym, no excuses. We try to go on Wednesdays or in the weekends, but these are individual additions to our already set habits. The combination of a set habit time and habit partner is the reason this is the longest streak of continuous exercise.
Thanks for making it this far in the article, it turned out longer than I expected! As part of the new habit I am setting in producing content for my blog, I will be writing more often about practical things I am doing to share with you what I am up to. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn to stay connected.
Cheers!
