7 Steps to Developing a New Habit

There's never a more perfect time to start a new habit than now! Once you have made up your mind about a habit, don't wait any longer and start putting it into practice.

Studies show that it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, but don't let that discourage you! Depending on the difficulty of the habit you hope to form, you're more likely to be able to develop your new behavior in about 21 days (that's only 3 weeks).

Most simple habits can be easily formed in 21 days!

But to really ensure that habit sticks, you may want to really focus on it for closer to 10 weeks. On average, new behaviors take around 66 days to become automatic in nature.

Here are 7 steps you can use over the next 70 days to establish a new habit to better your life:

Step 1: Focus on ONE habit

As tempting as it may be to hash out a few different habits at once, (I get it, you're motivated!), you want to really hone in on just one habit at a time. You don't want to burn out in your efforts.

Pick one habit you would like to start (or to break) and set it as a goal for your next 70 days. Use the S.M.A.R.T. goals acronym to help you decide on how you are going to go about creating this new habit.

Step 2: Commit without Exceptions

When you commit to starting your new habit, that means NO exceptions. Many habits are daily routine that need to be practiced as such.

For example: My husband is currently practicing intermitted fasting which allows him to eat only between the hours of 11:30am and 7:30pm. This routine isn't terribly difficult for him during the weekdays because he keeps busy at work, but weekends are a different story when he gets up with our son and gets to watch him eat breakfast in front of him.

Setting exceptions, or caving certain days, will throw off the entire process.

Step 3: Tell others

Accountability is a huge step to successfully forming a new habit. When you let others in on your goal to make a change, and when you are honest with them about your progress, accountability pushes you closer and closer to your goal. Determination builds when others are watching you.

Step 4: Visualize your success

My bad habit is picking at my cuticles. The combination of dry skin and anxiety has lead me to two decades of picking at hang-nails and destroying my fingers. I hate it.

But I broke my bad habit in time for my wedding!

I visualized how beautiful my hands would look on my wedding day with a french manicure and no hangnails or cuts. For three weeks I wore bandages on my "problem" fingers and used cuticle cream multiple times throughout the day. I'm happy to say my hands looked amazing on my wedding day!

Step 5: Set yourself up for success

A soldier doesn't march into battle without protection and defense. Don't walk into these next 70 days without the proper aides and resources.

Don't be afraid to set alarms on your phone, write reminders and affirmations on sticky notes, and use a tracker to visually see your day-to-day progress.

Download my free 70 Days to My New Habit tracker sheet to keep track of your progress.

Don't forget to pin to your Lifestyle Pinterest board

Step 6: Reward yourself

A simple way to push yourself closer to your goal is to reward yourself. Whether it's daily or at the end of each week, a little treat to celebrate your progress can go a long way. Each reward is a way to reaffirm your likelihood of success and reinforces the behavior you are practicing.

Step 7: Keep it up!

Don't stop once you've filled in all of the circles in your progress tracker. The ultimate goal is to make this new habit so natural to your lifestyle that it makes you uncomfortable if you don't practice it.

Remember, most simple habits can be easily formed in 21 days, but only start to become a natural behavior around the 66 day mark. Depending on the level of difficulty of the new behavior (especially if it's to break a bad habit), it may take even longer. Don't lose hope. Persevere through the hard days and keep up the good work!

Feeling a bit intimidated committing to 70 days? That's okay! Pin my 70 Days tracker for later and start with my 21 Days tracker instead.