How to Form a Habit

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By Wendy Melton
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There are so many things we do in our daily lives that have become a "habit". Brushing our teeth is habit. How you answer the phone is a habit. The way you sit in the car when your driving is a habit. Have you ever tried to change the way you do something, after you've done it one certain way for so long. It's easy to do as long as your thinking about it. The minute your mind drifts to something else, you go right back to the old way of doing things. What is a "habit" anyway? It's a way of doing things that has become routine or commonplace. To change an existing habit or form a new one, can be a tedious task.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Let's pick something fairly easy to start with, like spending 15 minutes in the morning reading the Bible. If you want to turn something into a habit that you do everyday, you have to WANT to do it. If you don't, you will find a way to do everything but that. Make a firm decision to do this on a daily basis.
Step 2

Imprint it in your head. Right several notes to yourself and put them in places where you will see them. By the alarm clock, on the bathroom mirror, on the refrigerator door, in your brief case, and under your car keys are good places to start.
Step 3

After the newness wears off, then you will have to remind yourself, "Hey I forgot to ____". Keep using the notes if you have to. It takes 16 to 21 times of repeating a task to make it a habit. Some people say it will take over a month to solidify it and make it something you will do without having to think about it. I tend to agree with the last statement. Two to three weeks will help you to remember, but thirty days or more will make it a part of your every day routine, something you won't necessarily have to think about before you do it.
Step 4

Associate the task with something you already do on a regular basis. If you want to read the Bible every day, put the Bible by your coffee cup so you can read it when you drink your coffee. Another option is the bathroom. That is pretty much self explanatory. You're in there several times a day anyway, and it will give you something to think about instead of what you're actually doing.