As humans, we form and maintain habits even without us knowing.
Habits are actions we perform regularly, so regularly that we even do them without thinking about them because they’ve become part of us.
For instance, eating. We put food in our mouth without thinking about it because we’ve always put foods in the mouth and not in the nose.
Habits make humans. Habits help us to develop routines that make life orderly and organized. Imagine doing different random things every day. Life will be chaotic that way.
But the painful truth is that, it’s harder to form and maintain good habits than bad habits.
So, if you’re someone who wants to get the best out of life, you have to be intentional about forming and maintaining good habits.
If you care about your self personal development, then you need to consciously decide on good habits to form and maintain.
Because good habits aren’t automatic.
They don’t just grow on you. That is why I’m writing this article. To let you know the best and only way to form and maintain good habits that will improve your self personal development.
The difference between successful people and unproductive people is HABITS.
Successful people have good habits that they derive their routine from while unproductive people leave their life to chance, thinking that someone something somewhere somehow someday will make their lives better without their own effort.
Then they wait forever until they don’t have the energy to develop good habits.
Now, what’s the best and only way to form good habits?
CONSISTENCY
That’s the answer.
CONSISTENCY.
Consistency is the power of habits. You can never form or maintain a habit without being consistent and persistent.
The question now is, how can you be consistent? How can you achieve the consistency you need to form and maintain a habit?
9 Ways to be Consistent to Form and Maintain Habits
1. Decision
Good habits don’t just fall on you. You have to make a decision to be consistent with the habit you want to form.
Bad habits are easy to form and maintain but good habits require you to make a decision.
2. Make a plan
After you’ve decided on the habit to form and maintain, make a plan on how to achieve it. How do you want to achieve it? It’s better to think and make a draft. There’s power in written word.
3. Write out your goals
After making a plan, list out actionable goals. These are practical steps to take in achieving your plan. Ensure that your goals are SMART
S- simple
M- measurable
A- achievable
R- realistic
T- time-bound
4. Place your goals where you can see them
This one works so well in behavioural change and formation. It actually works for me. When I post my written goals where I can see them, they not only serve as reminders but also a form of negative reinforcement; because seeing unfulfilled goals haunt me.
So, ensure you place your written goals where you can always see them.
5. Discipline
Truth is, you can’t achieve a good habit without discipline. Discipline is doing what you want to do even when you don’t feel like it.
Discipline is living beyond your feelings. Meaning that, you don’t have to feel like it before you do it.
Make up your mind to be disciplined, to do what you have to do regardless of how you feel.
6. Have an accountability partner
I do this each time I need to make a behavioural change. I tell someone who can remind me, motivate me, and even rebuke me.
It works because I don’t want to let the person down.
If you want to form or maintain a good habit, have an accountability partner. Someone who can keep you on your toes. It could be a friend, a mentor, a boss, or a sibling. Anyone.
7. Set a positive reinforcement strategy in place
When you achieve your goals, make sure you reward yourself. You know what you want best. You know what can motivate you. Reward yourself with it. Positive reinforcement influences the repeat of a desirable behaviour.
8. Pray for divine help
People think that God only cares about church and spiritual stuff. But truth is, God cares about every tiniest detail of our life. He cares and He is interested in that habit you want to form and maintain. Pray for divine help. Then you can achieve whatsoever you set your mind to achieve. Just tell God to help you.
9. Don’t give up
Truth is, forming and maintaining good habits takes time and effort. It requires some falling down and getting up, some rising and falling.
When you fall, don’t stay down. There’s no crime in falling, the crime is remaining down.
Whenever you’re unable to achieve your goals, pick yourself up again and repeat this process.
You need resilience to form and maintain good habits. So, never give up.
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