The beginning of the year is frequently when many of us focus on building new habits and taking new actions. And while we may feel steadfast in our commitments to these new behaviors at the outset, keeping up with them over time can be challenging.

We know from research into neuroplasticity that you can rewire your brain to form new habits. Still, it's hard, and your default behaviors are always there lurking, ready to reclaim their position.

While there is no one surefire way to ensure 100% success in nudging yourself to form a new habit, our team got together to share our own set of best practices so you can try them for yourself:

Write it Out

"Since technology consumes many of my daily tasks, I prefer to use a physical "to-do" list. I enjoy the tactile experience of writing in a small notebook using a Paper Mate felt tip pen. I draw a little square and add the task. There's a sense of accomplishment when I see all (or most) of my items checked off." - Abel Sánchez, Graphic Designer

Writing to-do lists can be tremendously helpful, but how you write them is also really important. An NIH study on exercise found that if we write down what we want to do, we make it happen 29% of the time. If we write down why we want to make it happen, we do it 39% of the time. If we also write down where and when it will happen, we do it 91% of the time. Specificity is a real key in taking our actions.

Build it Up, Break it Down

"If I'm starting something new and it feels daunting, I like to build the task up and break it down into chunks. For example, my goal is to read one book per month. If the book has 300 pages, I will break up the reading into 75 pages per week or 10 pages per day. If you continue adding one percent each day, you'll find yourself increasing within two or three months." - Charles Hardy, L&D Multimedia Specialist

In the movie, What About Bob?, Richard Dreyfuss's character recommends to Bill Murray's character a fictional book called Baby Steps to help Bill Murray end his action-paralysis. A funny scene ensues of Bill Murray taking tiny steps out of the office, but this concept is accurate in many ways. Often the reason we procrastinate is that we're thinking of too big of a first step. Breaking it down helps us to move forward.

Linking these small actions to a bigger goal can also be helpful. Have you been eyeing a promotion? A raise? A new opportunity? Make a clear link in your mind that these actions help you on that journey, and you'll be more likely to see it through. 

Make it Present in Your Space

"The thing all actions have in common is that they require time, so I live and die by what's in my calendar. I create 10-min appointments to prioritize a new habit or activity. I add it into my schedule at a convenient time, set it to recur every day for a couple of weeks, and include a reminder." - Kris Benefield, Learning Design & Development Lead

Making your goal present in the spaces where you live and work most can keep it from getting lost in the shuffle. "I'll think about that later" can often mean "I'll never think about it again." So, whether it's putting appointments in your calendar, hanging a reminder near your desk, or writing it on your fridge, it's helpful to keep your action plan present in your life in some way. The more you see it, the harder it is to ignore.

Even better, you can create a ritual for those 10-min appointments. Maybe they always kick off with your favorite music or with ten jumping jacks, and then at the end, you get a cup of tea. It doesn't matter what the ritual is as long as you make it something you look forward to instead of just another random block in the calendar.

Connect with an Accountability Partner

"Sometimes it's better to do things with a partner. Social validation and human reminders can help to boost our efforts in achieving goals. Similar to setting the alarm, I discuss accountability options with my partner. This requires a level of openness; I can’t take offense when my partner is checking in or nudging me." - Molly Shunney, Marketing Lead

Your head is the most dangerous place for an idea to live. Just getting it out there and saying it to someone else makes it more likely to happen, even if they don't hold you accountable. Building in an accountability or community element where multiple people are working to reach their goals can be even better. 

For example, every November is National Novel Writing Month, during which thousands of would-be writers finally write their books. These writers are successful because the entire community is in it together, and there is a built-in support group to help keep them on track. While there may not be a national month devoted to your specific goal, chances are, there are Facebook or Slack groups out there for anything you want to accomplish.

Try the Carrot or Stick Approaches

"Rewards are very fickle things. Sometimes the promise of a piece of cake at the end of a healthy week can work well, but sometimes it doesn't. The key is to know what works for you. Try an accountability audit, reflecting on three things you've accomplished over the last month. What held you accountable? Now lean into that." - Steve Garguilo, Founder

If you know rewards work well for you, great. You can lean into more rewards. Save your favorite TV show until you make progress. If you know that the opposite works well for you, you might also consider reverse rewards like donating to a political candidate you don't like if you don't make progress on your goal.

Ultimately, you need to be honest with yourself to adopt and integrate a new habit into your life: Do you really want to achieve this new habit? If you do, there are dozens of ways you can make it happen. If you're stuck and not making progress, maybe it's not that important to you, or perhaps it's a signal that you need to re-frame the goal in a way that is important to you.

We hope you're successful with whatever new habits you want to pursue in 2021, and our community of Empowered Cultivators is behind you.

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