Making a habit "stick"

Everyone has a habit they are trying to "make stick" at work. For example, you want to stop apologizing for colleagues for things that aren't your fault. You want to get to inbox zero. You want to take your lunch hour every day. And inevitably, you don't do it.

I want to start by saying that I personally hate habits. I am way too much of a Rebel (according to my Rubin Tendency -- yes, I did a quiz to figure out that I'm a "rebel"). I love not doing what I'm "supposed to" and seeing if I can "get away with it." I always want you to question whether you really need to build a new habit, or whether you just feel like you "should."

With that said, my favorite way to make a habit stick is to make it as easy as possible to follow through. Our ego is often tempted by making a habit hard to master, so we can feel like we conquered a big obstacle when we finally figure it out.

But how about setting up your life so that following through with this habit is easy? What systems can you set up to make it easy to get to inbox zero? To make it easy to take a full lunch hour?

I challenge you to brainstorm for 10 minutes, right now, about how to set up your life to easily make the new habit a reality. Put alarms on your phone. Create a "busy" time on your calendar. Get your spouse, friends, and colleagues on board. Set everything up the night before. Etc. etc.

There are no dragons to slay. There is no hill to climb. This isn't a grand tale of conquering your demons. This new habit is easy for you, and you will set up your life so it can glide right in.

Happy habit-forming.

​Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash