Goal-Setting

How To Transform Your Life Through Good Daily Habits

How To Transform Your Life Through Good Daily Habits

I couldn’t avoid the truth any longer! After completing the BestSelf Co.’s Benchmark Quiz and seeing written evidence that my life wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I knew I had to do something. And top of my list was my health.

As a writer, I spend a LOT of time sitting at my desk. I love my work, but it’s very sedentary. Worst of all, sometimes I get so lost in my imagination I can be static for hours!

The problem was I wanted a better work-life balance and that meant I had to change a lot of things…

I wanted to feel stronger and healthier. I wanted to drink more water and move around more. I wanted to try and practice yoga daily, but I was worried I was taking on too much making the whole transformation too overwhelming.

Which begged the question…

Is it possible to take on multiple good habits -
without compromising my work or burning myself out?

I gave myself 30 days to find out.

Armed with my BestSelf Co. Habit Roadmap and Self Planner [plus my commitment], I wanted to know if I could successfully integrate the following TEN good habits [all new] into my life - without overwhelming myself.

  1. Daily yoga practice
  2. Drink at least 2 liters of water
  3. Journal
  4. Read
  5. State affirmations
  6. Eat no chocolate!
  7. Close all three activity rings on my Apple watch
  8. Do something that makes me happy
  9. Take deep breaths
  10. Answer a deep-dive question
  11. Keep reading and I’ll share the results I achieved and how I was able to achieve them.

The results!

Over a 30 day period [the equivalent of 300 checks], I missed:

- A day of reading
- 2 days of questioning, and
- A day of affirmations

    Other than that, I achieved a 100% hit rate.

    Calendar

    What’s more, I noticed some big transformations taking place as a result of these good habits:

    - I’m getting stronger and more flexible. My muscles are toning, I can hold certain yoga poses for longer, and I’m not shaking like a hurricane in a leaf when I do plank pose!
    - I have a lot more energy to run after my three kids.
    - I’ve been much more productive. Rather than squandering my time, I’ve been filling it with my habits - and I feel a darn sight better for it.
    - I feel more confident in myself - because I’ve done what I said I was going to do [even when no one has been watching.]

      In conclusion, it IS possible to introduce lots of changes at the same time.

      In short, habits work as a tool to create a big transformation relatively quickly.

      Here’s why…

      1. The power of autopilot

      Good habits really come into their own when you no longer have to think about doing them. Instead, you reach the point where you feel weird or uncomfortable if you don’t do your habit [think not cleaning your teeth before bed!]

      The reality is humans like the status quo. Safe within our comfort zone we know who we are and what we can do. Everything is predictable and that feels secure. But shake things up, and we can feel a bit antsy and uncertain! It’s one of the reasons change can be hard - and why we resist change [even change that’s good for us].

      But done regularly, good habits become something you do on autopilot. In short, they become part of your identity.

      Take my habits…

      I used to be a sedentary person. Now I’m a person who practices yoga daily, drinks more water than tea, and always closes my activity rings!

      In short, habits on autopilot change you at your core. It’s much like Zig Ziglar implies in one of my favorite motivational quotes.

      “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.

      When you get to this point, habits stick because you just do them on autopilot. You no longer need willpower or motivation to get to the yoga mat or do your daily writing. You don’t suffer from decision fatigue because you’re wondering how to fit them in. Instead, you just do it because that’s who you are and what you do.

      2. Consistency is king

      You can’t become a hydrated person by drinking 10 liters in one go. In fact, that’s dangerous!
      Similarly, you won’t be able to write an entire book in one sitting. Your brain will fry!

      But you can achieve both of those goals if you take daily steps CONSISTENTLY. For example:

      - You can drink 2 liters a day - every day.
      - You can write 500 words - every day.
      - You can fit a 30-min power walk into your day - so you can chip away at those activity rings in a manageable fashion.

        Bite-sized steps don’t feel overwhelming. In fact, they are entirely do-able.

        What’s more, when you take action consistently, your results multiply because of the compound effect.

        When you turn your goals into daily habits, you’re ALWAYS moving the needle forward - because you program yourself to take the right actions, every single day.

        3. Schedule it

        We all lead busy lives!

        The challenge with taking on new things is figuring out where to slot them into your day! You know how it goes… if you don’t plan time, it just doesn’t happen.

        Thank goodness for my Self Planner!

        Looking through my list of chosen good habits I knew some would be easy - and some would be more challenging. For example, when was I going to do a 30-minute yoga session? And what was the best time to read?

        Here’s how I jigsawed together my day:

        1. Scheduled yoga for 1 pm. I decided this would be a good way to break up my day and boost my energy for the afternoon.
        2. MOVE activity ring - this one was easier. I started to walk the kids to school instead of taking the car.
        3. Journaling & deep dive questioning - I rearranged my work schedule to spend the first hour of my working day doing these tasks.
        4. Reading - before bed. Something to help me wind down and feed my subconscious.
        5. Deep breathing - after I wake up and before I get out of bed
        6. 2 liters of water - keep a liter bottle on my desk and note down on my Self Planner each time I finish one

          In other words, I planned my good habits around my day - and where possible tagged them onto things I was already doing. I used my Self Planner to schedule habit time - to ensure it didn’t get swallowed up by anything else.

          This created a bonus win…

          By squeezing my time, I became more productive too. With fewer minutes to waste, it became a lot easier to focus on the work tasks at hand. Double win!

          4. Habit tracking

          In the earlier days of this experiment, I needed a motivational boost.

          It was hard to find the energy to walk the kids to school [especially after arguing over lunch boxes and teeth cleaning!] Being so stiff and inflexible, I felt embarrassed when doing my yoga. It was hard to say no to chocolate as it had become such a staple snack for me.

          I needed something more to boost my confidence and keep me going.

          And I found that daily motivation in my Habit Roadmap.

          The Habit Roadmap is a powerful tool that allows you to track up to 12 daily habits and 8 weekly habits. With 90 days of tracking, you can create a three-month visual of your performance and achievements.

          Simply write down your good habits and put a big check each time to complete them.

          Before long, you start to build up a chain of wins that inspires you to complete another day.

          I love seeing my checks lining up and filling my wall. I’m proud of my discipline and my commitment to keep showing up for myself.

          One day at a time, I’m recreating the person I want to be with the help of this powerful tool.

          You can do this too

          Over the last 30 days, I’ve transformed from someone who lived from the neck up and spent all day drinking tea and writing into someone who enjoys moving and wants to make healthy choices.

          Thanks to a collection of good habits, I’m more connected with my physical body. I feel stronger and more flexible. I feel detoxified and healthier from the inside out. And I have so much more energy.

          What’s more, this doesn’t feel like a fad. This transformation doesn’t feel like something that’s going to stop when I’ve lost a few excess pounds and toned up.

          Instead, these good habits have helped me align more closely with the person I really want to be - and that feels powerful.

          Ready to see how good habits could transform your life?

          When you’re ready, your Habit Roadmap is here to provide daily motivation, support you, and inspire you - every step of the way.

          A visual tool to establish good habits

          Reading next

          Annual Review Worksheet
          How To Use The Weekly Canvas

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