So, how are your New Year’s goals going?
I’m happy to say, going to the gym is one of my good habits and it was formed years ago. If I don’t work out, I feel edgy and restless (like when you realise you are wearing your most uncomfortable pants but are too far from home to do anything about it).
Contrary to popular knowledge, it does not take 21 days to form a habit. Philippa Lally, a researcher at University College London, has found it can take anything from 2 to 8 months for people to form habits, it just depends on the person.
I’m sorry if that comes as bad news to you if you thought you’d be all sorted with your newly formed super-star habits by the end of the month.
It might not happen that easily.
But here’s a great little trick that should help you get through those vital habit- forming weeks and months…
(I apologise if this post is starting to look like a psychology text book, but I like to credit people with their research – they work hard to produce this good shit!)
Peter Gollwitzer researches the science of motivation with his buddies at New York University, and they have found that just “vowing” to do something is pretty much useless.
It rarely works.
What really works is making vivid, concrete plans to carry out your intentions.
Here’s an example:
Instead of saying “I’m going to start running again”, what you say is “Tomorrow morning, after I have brushed my teeth, I’m going to put on my green shorts, pink stripy top and purple trainers (I didn’t say you had any dress sense…) and I am going to run gently to the Co-op and back”.
That is an example of a vivid, concrete plan. You know the When, the Where and the How in full detail.
You can do it with anything from your fitness goals to other tasks you keep putting off, such as sorting your knicker drawer (and setting fire to the ones that give you wedgies).
It’s best to hang your new desired action off one you know you will already take, like having your morning coffee or lunch, so that you have a trigger for your action. It primes your brain to make it happen.
So, don’t give up when your motivation starts to fade – get VIVID and stay on track!
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