Happy mid-July!

Can you believe 2021 is more than halfway over?
After 2020’s craziness did you set some new goals and habits in January 2021?

Are you on track with them….or have you fallen behind?

If you’re not where you hoped you’d be by now don’t beat yourself up!

Now is a great time to re-set your goals for the remainder of the year.

Creating new habits isn’t always easy, so here are six simple hacks that will make it a little easier.

1) Schedule It And Put It On The To-Do List

Sometimes we simply forget to do that new thing we were trying. Maybe we forget that we committed to eating more greens by starting each day with a green smoothie. I often make mine the night before and put it in the fridge. It’s not as super fresh, but it’s there waiting for me and makes my mornings so much easier!

With our recent move to DC, I was so excited to purchase a new yoga mat (mine wouldn’t fit in my suitcase, ha!) so that I could do stretches at home in the mornings. But then I found I literally had to write YOGA on my calendar or I’d just jump into my day and forget about my new home-exercise habit!

Schedule your new habits or make them part of your daily to-do list until they become something you do automatically.

2) Make It Public and Be Accountable

Let (supportive) family and friends know what new habits you’re trying to establish. Give them permission to call you out and get you back on track if you don’t stick to your plan.

You may even go as far as sharing it publicly on social media or writing a blog about your new journey. Knowing that others read it and know about it might be just enough to keep you going when you feel like throwing in the towel.

3) Use Habit-Stacking

This means, whenever possible, piggybacking on a habit you already have in place and adding something new to what you’re already doing. It should be anchored to a certain location or time of day.

For example…

• every time you use the bathroom, stop by the kitchen for a tall glass of water,
• do calf raises or squats while you brush your teeth,
• as part of your bedtime routine set out your workout clothes for the next morning,
• listen to scriptures or an inspiring podcast while putting on your make up.

You get the idea.

It’s much easier to add your new goal to an existing habit or ritual than creating an entirely new one.

4) Make Slip-ups Costly

Here’s an idea, (but this one’s not mine because I don’t love the idea of punishment, eek!). Some people swear by this, so here goes: Put a jar on the kitchen counter and each time you slip back into your bad habit or forget to stick to the new one, you have to put five dollars in the jar. It will quickly help you remember to skip that sugary food and motivate you to go out for that walk. For extra motivation donate the money to charity at the end of the month or hand it over to your spouse to go spend on him or herself.

5) Get an Accountability Buddy

Examples could be a workout partner or a healthy eating buddy. Keep tabs on each other and encourage each other to keep going. It’s much harder to skip a walk if you know someone else is depending on you being there.

On a recent 26-day detox, my friend Pennie and I used Marco Polo to keep in touch from across the country. We’d both done the detox several times before, but it was really great to discuss recipes, etc., etc., etc. with her. I’ve also done it with a group of friends, and it’s so motivating to be in a group who are all working toward a common healthy goal!

So, share the joy. Find someone with the same or similar goal, or invite them to yours. Help them out as they help you, it’s a win/win!

6) Make It A Group Challenge

Like I mentioned in hack #5, if one accountability partner is good, a whole group is even better. And they don’t even need to be local. Find a supportive group online and challenge each other to stick to your new habit for the next 30 days or so. Not wanting to be the first one to give up will keep all of you going until you establish that new habit.

Give these simple little hacks a try. Keep using the ones that you find helpful until you have made new habits you can stick with, without the help of any tools or support.

Much love,