It is the brightest time of the year: that hopeful period in which we imagine the remarkable (its fit and kindness, its fiscal responsibility), our future. And while you may think that “new year, new” is nothing more than a magazine cover troop, the research favors its legitimacy.
“It’s not that there’s anything magical about December 31,” said Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit.” “What is magical is the ability of our mind to create new narratives for ourselves and look for events as an opportunity to change the narrative.”
One of those opportunities? Gener. Since most of us consider it a fresh start, Mr. Duhigg said New Year’s resolutions can be “very, very powerful,” as long as they are backed by science, patience, and planning.
At the heart of every resolution are habits: the good ones, the bad ones, the ones that don’t bite your nails. So if you want to change yourself, this is where you need to start. Here are seven science-based strategies to make sure your new habits last.
Think big
Imagine it being next New Year’s Eve. What change will you appreciate more than you make?
Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist and author of “The Willpower Instinct,” suggested you ask yourself this question before making any decisions. “It’s crazy for me how often people work the opposite way,” he said. “They choose behavior that they have felt is good for them and then try to force them on themselves and expect it to lead to greater health or happiness.”
Sounds familiar, right? To avoid this trap, Dr. McGonigal recommended reflecting on what changes will make you happiest and then choosing a “theme” for your year. That way, even if a particular habit doesn’t stick, your overall intention will stay.
Take for example the topic of reducing stress. You can try to meditate and hate it. But since your goal was not to “meditate 10 minutes a day,” you don’t need to completely abandon the resolution. Maybe you will try yoga later.
Choosing a unifying theme will also stimulate your brain to look for additional opportunities to advance your goal, Dr. McGonigal said, while restricting yourself to the same behavior will cause your brain to “shut down once you check it from the list “.
Be patient
According to Mr. Duhigg, research shows that instead of “breaking” bad habits, one should try to transform into better ones. To do this, you need to determine the trigger (recommendation) and reward of your habit, and then find a new behavior that satisfies both.
Although Mr. Duhigg said that indications usually fall into one of five categories (time, location, people, emotion, or ritual), rewards are harder to determine. Do you always get a snack in the afternoon because you’re hungry? Why are you bored? Or is it because you’re hungry for office gossip? To determine an effective replacement habit, it is vital to understand what reward you desire.
“Any habit can be diagnosed and changed,” Duhigg said. “You have to give yourself time to really figure out the clues and benefits that lead to that behavior, and often the only way … is through a process of experimentation.”
Break it
You may have heard that the key to habit formation is just beginning. But you’ve probably never considered starting as young as James Clear suggests in his new book “Atomic Habits”.
His “two-minute rule” only prescribes completing the start of any new habit. So if you want to read one book a month, read one page a day. If you want to play the piano, sit on the bench and open your songbook.
While admitting it may seem frivolous, Mr Clear said mastering “the art of presenting” helps put behavior on autopilot. She shared the story of a man who drove to the gym every day and then exercised for a few minutes before going home. In performing this seemingly futile action for six weeks, Mr Clear said the man was slowly becoming “the kind of person who works every day”.
Embrace quick rewards
For a habit to be maintained, it must have immediate rewards. But before you buy a smoothie after every workout, keep in mind that according to Dr. McGonigal, the most effective rewards are intrinsic or the ones you feel, not the ones you get.
So maybe, instead of this frozen strawberry-cabbage-hemp pleasure, just look at the renewed energy you have after lifting weights. Or the pride you feel when you don’t smoke cigarettes. He said the name of the reward helps your brain create positive associations with the activity.
If you don’t find any intrinsic reward, it may not be the right habit. Obviously, you shouldn’t volunteer to build routes if you don’t like being outside. If your goal is to return to your community, volunteer with animals or in a homeless shelter. “Choose the shape of the habit that makes you happy right now,” Mr. Clear added. “Because if you have some immediate satisfaction, you’re much more likely to repeat it in the future.”
Tighten your environment
Humans are weak. Which means environmental design is our “best lever” to improve habits, according to Mr. Clear.
“People who exhibit more self-control are not really those who have superhuman willpower,” he explained. “They’re the people who are least tempted.” If you want to save more money, stop following retailer social media accounts. If you want to watch less discouraged TV, disconnect it from the TV. Dr. McGonigal also recommends showing physical reminders of your goals, yes, this includes motivational post-it notes.
Your environment also includes the people around you. Mr. Clear suggested finding a group “where their desired behavior is normal” and then forging friendships with their members (which they will have a habit of maintaining).
Plan to fail …
Despite your best intentions, you are likely to fail at some point in your New Year’s journey.
“The question isn’t‘ Can you avoid it? ’” Duhigg said. “The question is‘ What are you going to do next? “” If you have a recovery plan or can learn from your failure, he said you have “many more chances of success” in your goal.
So write down the obstacles you anticipate and how you will overcome them. If you try to drink less wine, for example, you should probably sketch a plan for your mother-in-law’s next visit.
It’s also effective, Dr. McGonigal said, to share your goals with other people and then explain to them the best way to support you. “By outsourcing your willpower,” he explained, others can “maintain your intent” for you, “even when you’re exhausted or feel really stressed.”
… but he often celebrates
The cake can only be for special occasions, but celebrations are for every day. Science says so.
“Celebration is one of the emotions that drives people on the path to positive habits,” Dr. McGonigal said. Celebrating tells the brain that a behavior is beneficial and that it should look for more opportunities to participate in it.
Celebrations don’t have to be big. If you are finally studying for the licensing exam, let your co-worker know. If you survive a hard workout, take a sweaty selfie. Dr. McGonigal said celebrations can change your memory of a particular experience, making it more positive than it was. “And that makes it more likely that you choose to do it again in the future,” he added. Taking it a step further, you can send yourself a thank you letter or a FutureMe email to express your gratitude for your new habit.
This gratitude and genuine pride, along with hope, social connection, and compassion, are the most effective emotions to promote a lasting change in behavior, according to Dr. McGonigal. The least effective are shame, guilt, and fear.
So even if you stumble upon forming your new habit (which research says will probably do), be kind to yourself. While significant long-term change is not easy, it is possible. “Habits are not a goal to cross,” Clear said. “They’re a lifestyle to live by.”