When to Start a Habit
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Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.
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PROJECT OF THE WEEK
"WHEN" You Start a New Habit Can Make All the Difference
Behind every successful new initiative, goal achieved and finish line crossed is a list of tiny habits that were successfully implemented.
In order to meet your Monthly Sales Goal, you will likely need to implement habits around how many daily prospect calls you make, what time of day you follow-up on your leads, and at what time increment you send your follow-up emails.
If you are going to reach your goal of writing a book, you will need to successfully implement habits around when you are going to write each week, where you are going to do your writing, and how you are going to both get started and stay focused during each writing session.
Successfully crossing the finish line of a marathon is a testament to the habits you implemented around your training schedule, as well as your rest and recovery.
Getting Started
One factor that I think doesn't get enough attention is the value of choosing "WHEN" to start a new habit.
Choosing the right time to get started can make all the difference!
Before starting a new habit, take a few moments to think about what circumstances will make it easier to get started and be consistent.
There are slow and busy seasons at work and at home. There are times of year that are warmer and we want to be outside and times of year that are colder and it's easy to stay inside. Or, even better, times of the year when we want to travel. Even your week has slower and busier days.
Are there times of day, days of the week, or times of year that will make getting started easier?
Below are a few examples of how choosing the right time can have an impact on your success.
If you want to form the habit of walking outside each morning, I would recommend starting in the spring or summer. While the health benefits are equally as great on cold gray days, taking a walk in the warm sunshine is much more appealing and you’re likely to stick with the habit during the cold months.
There continues to be more and more research on the value of taking a cold shower or ice bath. No doubt this habit is much easier to start in the summer, when you know you will warm up fast.
If you want to form the habit of cooking more and eating out less, choose a quieter time of year. For most families, January is much quieter than July. On the flip side, if you love to cook on the grill, maybe July is best.
If you want to start a blog or write a book, you will need to start writing consistently. Think about what time of year and what time of day would be easiest to consistently write. If the only time you have to write is at 5:30AM, this may be easier to start in late spring/early summer, when the sun rises early. If you are carving out time from your work day, choose a slower season of work.
What habit do you want to implement or re-implement and when would be best to get started?
Additional Resources
There are many great resources on how to implement a new habit. Two books that I love are:
Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.