You know the importance of goals, so you make them. You know what a bad habit looks like, and you notice when you’re doing the thing that sabotages your progress.
But knowing isn’t always enough.
How do you quit doing the stuff that pulls you away from your goals and do more of what moves you toward them?
Create a structure that supports and helps you practice a good habit.
Just one goal can take many structures to support it. Which structure is ideal? The one that inspires and doesn’t feel like a chore!
One structure that works well with exercise is a 90-day challenge. But even 30 days works. My workout studio used to host the Little Black Dress Challenge. The person who went to the most classes in one month would receive a gift. We put star stickers on a chart each day we attended a class.
What I love about this structure is that it was focused on one thing: Increasing our attendance. We were motivated by prizes, stars on a chart, and the possibility of looking “hot” in our little black dresses.
It worked for me! I began going to class one more day a week. Then it became a habit. And I felt soooo good after each class, which moved me closer to my goal of having a rocking body!
One of my friends from the gym wanted accountability with her workouts. So if she doesn’t show up for her workout, she pays me $50. This is one way I prefer not to
make money. And only once has she ever had to pay me money.
I used this same structure with a group of friends years ago, and I got to my goal weight within a couple of months. In fact, all of us met our goals!
One of my girlfriends just told me that she wrote in my Speed Dial the Universe Journal for 70 days straight. When she told me what she created in profits for those 70 days, it floored me! Guess who began writing in her journal daily?
Here’s another cool structure posted on Facebook by Kat Tansey:
Get a LARGE jar or container. Fill it with notes about all the good things that happen… list all the good things that you experienced or received and then drop that piece of paper in your container. I recommend you do this EVERY DAY and on New Year’s Eve next year, dump out all those little pieces of paper and review them to see all the amazing and awesome things that happened over the year!
When my son was a toddler, he used to throw a fit when it was time to brush his teeth or get dressed. So we made a sticker chart to make these daily tasks worth doing. And he did. We also thought a fun tool might help with the brushing. Santa delivered a vibrating toothbrush that he would run to in the morning!
Some structures use accountability; others use rewards. Sometimes it’s simply about finding a way to practice the new habit that makes it easy.
When I have a water bottle in every room in the house, I drink more water. I just need to make it easy to remember! And keeping lemons and cucumbers in the fridge to slice into the water helps even more!
Years ago, I hired a coach for creating more flow in my home and business. I was going to postpone it for a couple of months and then thought, “The one thing I want most right now is a feeling of spaciousness so I can be more creative in my work!” Plunking the money down for her services created immediate accountability (and excitement!) for me.
What is your one big business goal that could easily be supported by practicing one new habit?
And what are one or two structures that would make that practice easier, more fun, or practically impossible NOT to do?
Create the structure. Then let the structure support you. =)