Develop the ‘uber habit’ of self-compassion by speaking to yourself like a good friend or coach, offering motivation without self-hatred, which builds resilience and increases the likelihood of reaching goals.
Shift your focus from solely big goals to establishing robust day-to-day systems and processes that facilitate your habits, recognizing that consistent systems are more effective than relying on goals alone.
Define your resolutions with clear, measurable actions (e.g., ’exercise three times a week,’ ‘read one book a month’) instead of vague aspirations, to increase your likelihood of success.
Begin new habits with extremely minimal effort (e.g., 1-2 minutes of meditation, putting on running shoes, reading one page) to reduce resistance, build initial wins, and foster an identity aligned with the desired behavior.
Select or connect your resolutions to your deep-seated personal values and intrinsic motivations (e.g., exercising for family health, meditating for better relationships) to foster a more powerful and sustainable drive.
Cultivate general mindfulness or healthy self-awareness to resist automatic, reactive behaviors and cravings, break free from autopilot mode, and lower overall stress, which can derail habit formation.
Identify and map out your ‘habit loops’ for addictive behaviors by recognizing the three components: the cue (trigger), the routine (the action), and the reward (the feeling or outcome).
Use mindfulness to critically evaluate the actual results and true rewards of your habits, especially addictive ones, to cultivate ‘disenchantment’ and reduce their appeal.
Once you’ve recognized the unsatisfying nature of old habits, identify and implement a ‘bigger, better offer’ (BBO) – a more rewarding alternative, often mindfulness itself – to replace the old behavior.
If you miss a day of your habit, ensure you do not miss it a second consecutive time; this rule provides a balance of flexibility and structure, preventing a single slip from derailing your progress.
Monitor your habit attempts using a journal or a habit tracking app (e.g., Streaks, Habit Bull) to reinforce consistency, boost self-awareness about effective times/days, and provide positive reinforcement by celebrating small wins.
Arrange your physical and digital surroundings to support your new habits by making desired actions easy to access (e.g., workout clothes visible, healthy snacks at eye level) and minimizing distractions (e.g., blocking distracting websites).
Attach a new desired habit to an existing, consistent habit you already perform (e.g., meditate after pouring morning coffee) to make it easier to remember and integrate into your routine.
Formulate your goals as approach-oriented actions (e.g., ’eat more vegetables’) rather than avoidance-oriented ones (e.g., ‘stop eating crap’), as positive framing is more effective for habit formation.
Focus on a small number of resolutions at a time, avoiding the attempt to change too many things simultaneously, to prevent overwhelm and increase success rates.
Engage with a community or find partners who share your habit goals (e.g., gym buddy, book club) to make the process more fun, receive motivation, reinforce positive behaviors through social norms, and create accountability.
Pair a desired habit (e.g., exercise) with a ‘guilty pleasure’ you enjoy (e.g., watching a favorite TV show), allowing yourself the pleasure only while performing the habit, to make the habit more enjoyable and increase persistence.
Approach exercise by emphasizing the inherent joy of movement rather than external motivators like shame, self-criticism, or comparison, to foster a more sustainable and positive habit.
Implement automated savings plans to regularly transfer a portion of your income into savings, removing the need for conscious effort and reducing the temptation to spend, thereby increasing savings.
Visualize or engage in an imaginary dialogue with your future self (e.g., your 80-year-old self) to gain perspective, clarify the long-term benefits of your habits, and strengthen motivation for current actions.
Establish a personal ritual around your habits, such as a specific phrase or intention said before starting, to imbue the action with deeper meaning and enhance intrinsic motivation.
Embrace the ‘fresh start effect’ not just for new beginnings, but also to recover from setbacks; consider every new day or Monday as an opportunity to restart your habit efforts without self-blame.
When experiencing self-criticism or difficulty with resolutions, use mindfulness to simply notice and acknowledge the challenging moment, even by saying ’this sucks’.
During difficult moments, remind yourself that countless others are experiencing similar feelings and thoughts, fostering a sense of common humanity to combat feelings of isolation.
Address yourself with kindness and encouragement, as you would a good friend, especially when you falter; using your own name can create helpful psychological distance.
Consider using apps like Stick or B-Minder to set goals and commit money that you will lose if you fail to meet your commitments, creating a strong financial incentive to follow through.
Actively recount and savor your successful moments or ‘wins’ (e.g., successful conversations, habit achievements) to coaches or friends, as this process helps solidify the learnings and positive behaviors.
Share your habit streaks or progress (e.g., meditation streaks) with others, as seeing your progress is a powerful motivator and ‘healthy bragging’ can provide additional social support and accountability.
Choose a few habit formation strategies that resonate with you and test them out, rather than trying to implement all of them at once.
Subscribe to danharris.com to participate in a free 7-day meditation challenge, receiving daily guided meditations and access to live Q&A sessions, as mindfulness is considered a foundational habit for behavior change.
Tune into the podcast’s ‘Do Life Better’ series, which dedicates a week to common resolutions like fitness, finances, career, and addiction, offering science-backed and ancient wisdom approaches.
Access the curated podcast playlist on habit formation, featuring experts like James Clear, Judd Brewer, and Katie Milkman, and learn about Gretchen Rubin’s ‘four tendencies’ to understand personal behavior change styles.
Subscribe to danharris.com to receive cheat sheets for podcast episodes, which include summaries and full transcripts, to help process and retain the information.