Good Routine, Great Habits
Let’s start with an important truth: Life is busy.
In this day and age, we seem to be pulled in so many different directions. Between family, friends, and career there is no shortage of “high priorities” and an endless amount of to-do’s coming from all of it.
In the months since adding a new little member to our family, we have definitely seen previously high priorities slip, routine fade away, and bad habits creep in as our lives get increasingly more busy.
Major life changes tend to do that. Getting a new job, moving cities, having a child (human or pup) add complexities to your daily lives that can quickly have you falling out of your routine and developing bad habits.
It was the development of these bad habits that had me looking for a better system to regain control of the day.
Alignment of systems and habits
Our days, weeks, and months are made up of all kinds of habits.
Both good - getting out on your daily walk, checking in with family, cleaning the dog bowl.
And bad - the afternoon coffee, skipping the workout, feeding Graham from the dinner table…
Your system (also known as your routine) enables both types of habits to take place. And with a baby on board, what I needed to do was hone in on a routine that lowered friction for good habits and increased it for bad habits.
Good Routine, Great Habits
What I have found is that creating a good routine is the most important aspect to building great habits. One doesn't come without the other.
Here is a breakdown of how I think about my routine and the habits that form it.
1. Make It Obvious
Start by identifying the habits you want to form and make them obvious throughout your day. One concept that can help with this is called "habit stacking," which is where you pair a new habit with one that already exists. For example, if you want to develop the habit of brushing your dogs teeth, you could stack it with brushing your own — “After I brush my teeth at night, I’ll brush my dog’s.” This ties the new habit to a familiar and established routine, making it more likely you'll stick to it.
2. Make It Attractive
Increase the appeal of new habits to make them more enticing. You're more likely to stick with a habit if it's associated with positive feelings. Another technique called "temptation bundling" can support this, which involves combining an action you want to do with an action you need to do. For instance, if you’re trying to exercise more but love watching a particular show, only allow yourself to watch episodes while working out.
3. Make It Easy
Simplify the habits you're trying to adopt to reduce friction. The easier a habit is to start, the more likely you'll follow through. To do this, reduce the number of steps between you and your good habits. Using a personal example, we’ve sought to start each morning with a bang, by walking Graham to the park to get some early exercise in. To decrease the time it takes to get out the door, I make sure everything we need for the excursion is prepared the night before, including my outfit and snacks for the kiddo. The key is to prepare your environment in a way that supports your future actions and give you less time to think of an excuse!
4. Make It Satisfying
Reward yourself for completing a habit to ensure it sticks. The immediate satisfaction you get from a reward makes you more likely to repeat the habit in the future. For instance, if you get your dog out for a morning walk, you might treat yourself with a coffee shop as the destination. Providing value for your dog and incentive for you to make it to the finish line. What is immediately rewarded is repeated, and what is immediately punished is avoided.
5. Track Your Progress
Finally, make your habits quantifiable and keep track of them. Tacking your habits not only provides some immediate satisfaction (checking off a habit can feel rewarding) but also as a way to provide evidence of your progress while sticking to your routine. I have a monthly calendar (check it out here!) that I keep on the fridge that tracks our daily habits, but you can use a journal, an app, or anything else to mark off each day you complete your habit. This visual proof of our success has proven to be a powerful motivator to keep going.
Starting out the goal was never to go “all in”, remember we just had a baby… a perfect routine was not in the cards. I just wanted to get back on the right track and add a little more predictability back into my day.
Not every habit is going to stick, your routine isn’t going to be perfect. But if we make it a priority to focus on improving a small amount each day, we’ll be much more prepared as more major life changes come our way!
Let me know how you’re looking to change up your routine and build better habits. I’d love to incorporate some in our lives too!
Sam & Graham