Want to form and stick to habits? Do THIS!

Here are 4 amazing techniques I've learned from the book Atomic Habits. I’ve also published a full video on my YouTube channel for everyone who’s interested in learning more: https://youtu.be/791O72PXnGs

1. Start with Tiny Changes (Dream Big, Start Small)

When you want to change your behavior and start learning new habits, it’s good to know that you don’t have to revolutionize or reinvent yourself. Instead, it’s much better to start making tiny changes that, when repeated over time and time again, will become habits that lead to big results.
The funny but also annoying thing about these small and tiny changes is that they don’t have a big impact right away. So if you’re, for example, out of shape today and you go for a 20-minute run, you’ll still be out of shape tomorrow, right? But repeat this small behavior for a couple of months, and you’re more likely to become fit and all of these tiny movements resulted in a major outcome.

2. Implementation intentions

The second technique to stick to your habits is what they call ‘implementation intentions’, which basically means that you need to make sure you keep reminding yourself about the habits you’re trying to form. So, for example, if you’re trying to learn to play the guitar, one thing you can do, based on the ‘implementation intentions’ technique, is to leave your guitar in the middle of your house, let’s say next to the TV, so you’ll be constantly reminded of you wanting to learn to play the guitar and you probably will do it more often instead of binge-watching Netflix.

3. The Two-Minute Rule

The third strategy I wanted to share is called to Two-Minute Rule, which is a way to make any new activity feel manageable. The principle is that any behavior can be distilled into a habit that is doable within two minutes. So, if you want to read more, don't commit to reading one book every week. Instead, make a habit of reading for 2 minutes per day. By doing so, you’re working on small accomplishments that can lead you to greater things, because simply getting started is the first and most important step towards doing something.

4. My personal favorite: Habit Stacking!

A technique I’m using myself is called habit stacking, which basically means that, in order for you to make forming new habits easy, you need to combine it with habits you’ve already implemented. So for example, if you wanna read more, combine drinking a coffee (which you’re already doing several times a day) with reading. Or if you wanna listen to books or podcasts more often, combine it with your everyday commute or, for example like I do, when you’re working out. Just try to form and stick to habits by connecting them to a habit you already have.

Hope you liked this post!

Full video on my YouTube: https://youtu.be/791O72PXnGs