How to Create a Habit

Day 34 of 100

Nicole, from North Carolina sent me this, as she thought it might prove beneficial to my Clutter Therapy readers. I agree. Each day, as you spend time decluttering your 10 items, you are creating a habit that will change your life and how you look at your stuff.


HOW TO CREATE A HABIT


HABIT: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: No better time than the present!

HOW To's:

1. Only one habit.

2. Start small. Just commit to 10 minutes a day. This might sound too easy, but you will almost guarantee success if you do this. You can increase later.

3. Commit publicly.

4. Write your plan. Write out exactly what habit you'll be forming, when you start, what time during the day you'll be doing it, rewards you might give yourself, how you'll overcome any potential obstacles. Write it down to succeed!

5. Find a trigger. Find something you already do consistently every day -- wake up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, shower, arrive at work, have lunch, have dinner, anything -- and tie your new habit to this trigger. Do it every day RIGHT AFTER this trigger.

6. Be consistent. Do not miss a day. Try to get a streak going -- 30 straight days! If you miss a day, keep going, but the more consistent you are, the more likely the habit will stick.

7. Report progress. Every day, report your progress.

8. Motivate. Give yourself rewards each week. In fact, give yourself a reward each of the first few days, and then weekly after that.

9 Be positive. Keep a positive attitude throughout the entire challenge to be successful. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, squash them like a bug! And replace them with positive thoughts. It really works.

Thank you Nicole!

Is decluttering becoming a habit for you?

Staying Motivated:

Day 11 of 100
Now is about the time that the excitement over a new undertaking can slowly start to dwindle. It is easy to slack off slowly, without realizing it. Make a commitment to yourself to keep going! Look around your home at the areas where you have decluttered. Notice how peaceful they are and how you naturally gravitate towards these during the day. Your whole home and life can be like this all the time! You can do this! Don't let an opportunity slip by! The weekend it a perfect time to move ahead! Pick and area and get decluttering! Then plan a fun or relaxing activity to reward yourself for persevering. Make it fun and go find 10 !