Confidence: The Ultimate Procrastination-Buster

I get it, for so many of us (myself included!), low self-esteem and procrastination are kind of an endless cycle. We avoid challenging things because we don’t feel capable, which then reinforces those crummy self-doubting feelings when we fall short. Talk about a vicious loop, am I right? It can really do a number on our mental health over time. But here’s the thing – cultivating authentic confidence is one of the most powerful antidotes to chronic procrastination. Knowing your worth and believing in your abilities to problem-solve removes so much of that initial hesitation around tackling tough tasks. You start seeing possibilities instead of roadblocks.

And it’s not just about feeling good, although that’s certainly part of it! Confidence also gives you the freedom to not take things so dang seriously all the time. You don’t have to be the best or smartest. You can embrace all the ups, downs, and messy middles of being human without it demolishing your self-esteem. So how do we start building up this ultra-effective procrastination kryptonite? I’m glad you asked! Here are three hot tips:

• Stop the blame game: When self-doubt creeps in, it’s tempting to point fingers at others or your inner critic when challenges arise. However, by refusing to place blame, you release yourself to concentrate on finding solutions. Embrace responsibility for the aspects within your control, and witness how rapidly you transform into an unstoppable force.
• Adopt an “I can!” attitude: Whoa there, feisty one! That negative self-talk trying to convince you something’s too hard? Give it a lil’ hair tousle and say “Pfft, I’ve got this!” Choosing to approach everything with a can-do spirit stretches you in the best ways. You’ll amaze yourself with what’s possible.
• Rack up some wins: Nothing boosts confidence like checking things off the trusty to-do list, am I right? Make a point of following through on tasks to completion instead of leaving a zillion half-done things lying around. Wake up that unstoppable feeling by showing yourself what you’re capable of, one accomplishment at a time!

Self-confidence is such a gamechanger, my friends. Keep chipping away at those self-doubts by taking care of your self-esteem, and that nasty procrastination habit won’t stand a chance. Who’s ready to feel unstoppable?

Finding Your Inner Disciplinarian

You know what they say – discipline is a powerful thing! And I’m not just blowing motivational smoke here. Building true self-discipline is low-key one of the most transformative forces you can unleash in your life. Think about it – discipline is what allows you to push through challenges and resistance. To make wise choices that serve your greater goals instead of impulsive ones that derail you. To resist the endless temptations and cheap distractions that try to lure you off course. Without discipline, all the self-awareness and goal-setting in the world won’t amount to much. You might start svelte and motivated…only to watch those dreams slowly fizzle as your commitment wanes. Ugh, been there, am I right?

Building discipline is really about changing your habits – those subconscious behavioral patterns that can either undermine you or propel you forward with ease. By establishing new routines, setting up reminders and accountability systems, and celebrating small wins along the way, you’re essentially updating your brain’s programming. Over time, self-discipline starts feeling more natural, more hard-wired into your psyche. And those lingering inertia demons that used to stop you in your tracks get quieter and less powerful.

That’s why I challenge you to pick just ONE area of your life where you’d love to be more disciplined right now. Is it waking up earlier? Sticking to a workout regimen? Spending quality time on a personal passion project? Whatever it is, don’t aim for a massive overhaul just yet. Just a simple new habit, maybe something you can realistically pull off 2-3 times a week. Then watch what happens! Maybe you set a phone reminder to lace up for a walk after dinner. Or you make a checklist to follow each morning before heading to work. Or you use a habit tracking app to get satisfying burst of accomplishment every time you show up for yourself. Take those small, consistent wins and let them build momentum.

Another useful tool is journaling. The path to self-discipline is rarely linear, which is why journaling can be such a powerful ally. By taking a few minutes each day to reflect, celebrate small wins, and course-correct when you veer off-track, you’re actively reinforcing those new habits. Your journal becomes an accountability partner, a sacred space to work through resistance and realign with your “why.” Don’t underestimate the power of putting pen to paper, either. There’s something about physically writing out your thoughts, feelings, and commitments that encodes them deeper into your psyche. It’s a ritual, a practice in showing up for yourself consistently. Wondering how journaling can help beat procrastination?

The Pen(cil) is Mightier Than the Procrastination Monster

I know, I know – for some of you, that suggestion might elicit major flashbacks of being forced to keep a dear diary as a tween. Allow me to reframe this potent personal growth tool for you! Journaling is like having a totally judgment-free bestie to lean on whenever you need to vent, dream, or simply get your beautiful brainwaves untangled. It provides an outlet for processing all the thoughts and emotions that can so easily lead to stuckness and procrastination if left unattended.

But beyond that cathartic magic, journaling is also an A+ companion for mapping out your goals, breaking down overwhelming projects into smaller chunks, and celebrating every milestone along the way. It’s like a trusty trail guide leading you out of the procrastination canyon! Whether you use it to braindump your inner monologue, doodle your worries away, or meticulously bullet out your master plans, journaling empowers you to stay centered, intentional, and motivated as you forge your proactive path.

Maybe your journal becomes a sacred space to reiterate your deepest “why” whenever you feel willpower waning. Or maybe writing out a gratitude list reminds you of how far you’ve already come. However, you decide to leverage it, journaling is an incredibly powerful tool for both unearthing the roadblocks to your productivity and charting the way forward. Still don’t know where to start? Grab my  Monthly Planning Journal which is packed with prompts, goal-trackers, and creative exercises, it’s designed to be the ultimate self-reflection and productivity tool. With the self-awareness from journaling combined with the steadfast discipline we’re building, that proactive lifestyle is finally going to feel unshakeable!

The Proactive Pathway

Whew, what a journey we’ve been on this month, my Flourishing Fiercely readers! From debunking those pesky procrastination excuses to leaning into discomfort, building rock-solid discipline, and unlocking the power of self-confidence, we’ve covered serious ground. But now, as we approach the finish line of our “Procrastination” series, I hope one thing has become glaringly clear: embracing a proactive lifestyle isn’t just some lofty aspiration reserved for a select few high-achievers. Nope, this is a mindset, a way of being that’s available to every single one of us.

It starts with having the courage and self-assurance to stare down those fears and doubts that so often fuel our procrastination. To silence the inner critic whispering “you’re not good enough” and replace it with an unwavering belief that you’ve got this. From there, it’s about taking that self-confidence and channeling it into sustainable habits and routines that become your productive default. Not just white-knuckling it through sheer force of will, but systematizing discipline into your daily existence. Setting reminders, celebrating small wins, and showing up for yourself consistently.

And let’s not forget one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal for manifesting that transformation: the humble journal. By taking a few minutes each day to reflect, realign, and capture our commitments in writing, we’re actively reinforcing those new habits and growth mindsets. Your journal becomes an accountability partner, a sacred space to work through resistance and celebrate your small wins. It’s where the “Future You” takes shape through intentional reflection and goal-setting. Where the path to a more positive, productive lifestyle gets inked out, one day at a time. So, keep that journaling practice top of mind as we transition into our next monthly theme…because surprise! We’re going to be diving deep into the art of journaling itself. From practical tips to creative prompts, we’ll be exploring all the ways this simple ritual can level-up our self-awareness, mindfulness, and overall wellbeing. Show up as your best self, day after day. All that’s left is to walk through, with your head held high and journal in hand. Are you with me?

The “Better Under Pressure” Lie: Deflating Procrastination’s Biggest Myth

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But Jen, haven’t my best performances always happened when I was scrambling against the clock? There’s just something about a looming deadline that supercharges my focus and productivity!” Well, I hate to break it to you, but that way of thinking is nothing more than a pervasive lie we tell ourselves to rationalize our procrastination habits. A flimsy excuse that conveniently ignores the harsh realities and very real consequences of last-minute time-crunching.

That’s right, folks – powering through important tasks at the very last second under intense pressure might give you a fleeting sense of heightened motivation and adrenaline-fueled hyperfocus. But I’m here to tell you that any perceived performance boost is outweighed tenfold by the negative impacts on work quality, creativity, overall well-being, and long-term productivity. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the cold hard facts, shall we? Numerous research studies have shown that procrastinating until the last minute and working under acute time pressure leads to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout. Those aren’t exactly ideal conditions for producing your best work!

When you’re operating in a constant state of rushed panic, attention to detail gets sacrificed. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills take a nosedive. Innovative ideas and creative solutions get shelved in service of just “getting it done.” And at what cost? The rushed, slapdash results rarely live up to their full potential. And also let’s not overlook the far-reaching impacts that repeated bouts of intense, self-imposed time pressure can have on your overall well-being. From disrupted sleep and strained personal relationships to negative thought patterns and mental health struggles, habitual procrastination is a brutal cycle that keeps on taking.

The truth is, no matter how good you might think you are at “thriving” under pressure, every self-imposed time crunch comes at a price. With each hastily assembled project or half-baked idea, a little piece of your motivation, creativity, and self-worth gets chipped away. Wouldn’t you rather approach your tasks with a sense of calm, focused intention from the get-go? To have ample time to carefully consider all angles, explore innovative solutions, and produce your absolute best work? No self-imposed stressors, no desperate all-nighters, no frantic last-minute scrambles – just you operating at 100% capacity.

That’s the beauty of proactive time management and smart prioritization. By soberly assessing your obligations well in advance and creating an action plan you can actually stick to, you sidestep the vicious cycle of procrastination. No more relying on that fleeting “I work better under pressure” high to power you through! It all starts with having the courage to ditch that pervasive myth once and for all. To radically accept that pressure might give you a brief sense of heightened focus, but at a massive long-term cost to your creativity, well-being, and integrity of work. So go ahead, keep on using excuses to procrastinate – but I promise you, the time crunch way of operating is never worth the steep price you ultimately pay. Give yourself the gift of proactive time mastery, and watch in awe as your performance soars!

The next question you may be thinking… where should I start?

Overwhelming Overwhelm: Tackling Strategies That Work

Overwhelm-based procrastination is a vicious cycle that only breeds more stress, more anxiety, and a constant undercurrent of “I’m in over my head” dread. From compromised immunity and depression to full-blown anxiety attacks, letting that sense of being overburdened fester is basically self-sabotage of the highest order. But fear not, my burnt-out pals! I’ve got a few ultra-effective strategies up my sleeve to help you tackle overwhelm head-on before it has a chance to paralyze your productivity. No more hiding under the covers, no more endless avoidance loops – just good old-fashioned prioritizing, systematizing, and pro-active planning!

• Step one: let’s get those unruly tasks wrangled into some kind of order, shall we? Might I recommend the ultra-satisfying number-folder filing system? Just snag 31 file folders (one for each day of the month), slap a number on each one, and start dropping those dreaded to-dos into their respective due date folders. Suddenly that endless list starts to feel a whole lot more manageable when it’s bucketed out day-by-day! For my tech readers, there are many task orientated apps and programs can assist with this. 
• Step two: Next up is the sacred nighttime routine – a non-negotiable ritual that’ll have you feeling poised and in-control for tomorrow’s onslaught. Spend 10-15 minutes each evening rounding up everything you and/ or your fam will need for the next day – clothes, supplies, permission slips, you name it – and place those puppies right by the front door. A little proactive prepping never hurt nobody!
• Step three: Last but not least, we’ve got the good ol’ “attack, schedule, or delegate” technique. Anytime a new task lands in your lap (because we know there’s always another one coming), force yourself to immediately decide: am I attacking this sucker head-on ASAP? Scheduling it for a specific time/day in the near future? Or delegating that bad boy to someone else on the team? By cutting out the “I’ll deal with it…eventually” mindset, you’re proactively circumventing potential overwhelm.

The point is overwhelm might feel inevitable some days, but it doesn’t have to be! With a few savvy strategies for wrangling, prioritizing, and knocking out tasks in their tracks, you can break the cycle of avoidance and start chipping away at those endless lists. You might just have to get a little uncomfortable first to get things right…

Lean Into the Suck: Embracing Discomfort to Conquer Procrastination

I know, I know – the mere idea of leaning into discomfort and distasteful chores makes your skin crawl. Why on earth would you voluntarily subject yourself to that kind of overwhelm and un-fun when avoiding it is so easy? It’s called procrastination for a reason, right? But here’s the harsh truth: continuously shirking responsibilities and side-stepping anything remotely resembling hard work is a one-way ticket to Regretville. It breeds learned helplessness, sabotages your motivation, and deprives you of invaluable lessons in resilience and discipline.

The cold hard fact is that every single day serves up a hearty helping of stuff we’d rather not do. Whether it’s tackling that daunting work project, mustering the energy to workout, or scrubbing down those perpetually grimy bathroom tiles, distasteful tasks are an inevitable part of existing as a functional human. Now, you could moan and groan every step of the way, seeking temporary refuge in distraction and avoidance. OOOOOR you could make the bold choice to lean directly into that discomfort, staring it right in the eye and coming out stronger on the other side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’ll be easy at first. Heck, it’ll probably feel like you’re being asked to construct an appropriately sized doghouse out of nothing but damp shoelaces and moldy crackers. Sheer misery! But here’s the secret – that excruciating discomfort doesn’t last forever. The more you commit to pushing through those distasteful tasks, the easier it’ll become to shut off the whiny inner monologue screaming for you to quit. With each challenge faced head-on, you’ll be actively rewiring those “this is too hard” instincts while building up reserves of discipline and perseverance.

Need a little extra motivation? Think about all the incredible daily badassery happening around you – the nurses persevering through unglamorous bodily fluid incidents, the trash collectors lugging around literal tons of stench every week, or stay-at-home parents locked in an endless battle against the ever-replenishing forces of household randomness, waging war daily on cluttered landscapes and sticky surfaces. All of them waking up and choosing to lean into the suck, day after day after day. And you know what ties all those resilient souls together? They’ve found deeper meaning and “reasons why” to embrace the less-than-pleasant aspects of their responsibilities. That sparkly clean house and fresh laundry? It’s about creating a comfortable living sanctuary. Cooking nutritious meals, despite the hassle? Fueling yourselves and your loved ones to live life to the fullest.

So go ahead, give it a try! The next time a distasteful task looms, don’t instinctively reach for your procrastination security blanket. Face that discomfort head-on, plow through with intense focus, and reward yourself with something pleasant once it’s conquered. Rinse and repeat, my friend, and I guarantee those once-miserable chores will start to lose their power over you. It’s all about leaning into the suck, processing that discomfort in a healthy way, and coming out the other side with a huge dose of hard-earned resilience. Who’s ready to turn procrastination into discipline?

The Path Forward

The myth of “working better under pressure” has been deeply ingrained in our culture, leading many to believe that procrastination is an acceptable, or even beneficial, work habit. However, as this blog series has demonstrated, this could not be further from the truth. Cultivating proactive time management, developing resilience in the face of unpleasant tasks, and normalizing discomfort are all essential steps towards unlocking our true potential. Next week’s blog post on “Stamping out the Stall” will dive even deeper into the first steps of this transformative journey.

Picking up from last week’s theme, I wanted to share some additional tips for making discipline a habit.  Some of these may be familiar concepts to my regular readers–for example, accountability.  Accountability with a trusted friend, colleague, or family member can help with developing discipline.  Many people think self-discipline means doing it all on your own, but it does not mean that at all. In fact, having a coach, or a group, or an accountability partner can really help you to develop more discipline.  An example would be when someone puts off housework until they know someone is coming over, and they race around to get the house all tidy before their visitor arrives. It is far easier to give in and be less disciplined when you just have yourself in the picture. When you have a person or people hold you accountable, though, you are far more likely to make sure it happens.    

An accountability partner is someone you set up a contract with to hold each other accountable for reaching goals. This is a mutual pact and is probably the easiest to set up. The goals do not have to be the same ones, the point is to connect on a regular basis, often once a week, and share with each other how much you have accomplished.  The best way to do this is to break up the task into daily chunks and do each one each day so that you are not trying to finish up the project the night before you meet with your accountability partner.  (For more on accountability, check out this blog post from April 2023.)

Using Challenges to Develop More Discipline

One way you can develop more discipline is to use challenges. This makes it more like a game and less like a chore. Also there can be the element of friendly competition with others and having others help hold you accountable which improves your odds of success.  Challenges are very popular and you can find them in many places across the internet and social media. Or you can make up your own and share it with a group of people. However, you end up doing it is up to you.

When looking to see if a challenge will be useful to you, there are some factors to look for, so you can best benefit. Is the challenge realistic? You want to stretch yourself, but not to the point where it might be too difficult to succeed. For example you could challenge yourself to cook all your meals at home for the next 30 days in order to save money on take-out or restaurant food, but that might be challenging if, for instance, you have travel planned away from your home during that time, or if you have an especially busy few days with work, kids’ activities, or other family obligations on deck. You also want the challenge to not be too easy. You need to see if you have the time to devote to it. Be sure to include time for learning new things, for example if you challenge yourself to build a new blogging website in 30 days, remember that if you have never done one before, you will have to learn some things and that will be extra time above just writing the blog posts.  (Having launched this blog earlier this year, I am all too aware from personal experience the time it can take to learn new website-building systems! )  

If the challenge is a large one over a longer period of time, are there clear-cut milestones along the way to help you have a sense of accomplishment? If your challenge, for example, is to find a new job or change careers entirely, you may want to build in smaller steps and milestones along the way–such as making a list (written or mental) of what you’re looking for in your new career, writing or revamping your resume, researching job leads, networking informally or through informational interviews with people in the field you have your eye on, and so forth. 

When you do a group challenge, you have some added benefits. There is a sense of camaraderie when working together on a goal that you don’t get when just “competing” with yourself. Other people can give you ideas, too. For example, if you are in a group challenge focused on cooking more or eating out less, the group members can share recipes and support.

Organization Is a Major Tool in Developing Discipline

If you want to develop more self-discipline, it helps to get organized. Organization helps you feel less overwhelmed and makes it easier to get things done. You also can focus easier on your goals if you have a structure to both your day and your work environment.

For example, say you have a goal of writing a book. Lots of people want to write books, but many never end up finishing one–why? Because a monumental goal like that requires discipline and organization, and especially if there isn’t a fixed deadline imposed by someone else, it’s easy for our goals to fall to the back burner as day-to-day obligations get in the way. You cannot successfully write a book if you only write when you feel like it. You also are less likely to get much writing done if you are not organized. If your research for your book consists of pages that you have to search through every time you need something, or worse yet, find the notes buried in a pile of paperwork, you will find you spend more time on finding things instead of actually writing.

Scheduling your day is another way of organizing that will help you develop discipline. This is more than just having a to do list. You need to look at when you get up, when you go to bed, and block out times like work hours that cannot be used for accomplishing your goals. Then you need to take a look at the time left over and figure out how to best use it. One of the ways a lot of people add more time in their day is to get up an hour earlier and devote that time to their goals. Some people go to bed an hour later and use that time. Be realistic about how much time it takes to do the steps needed to accomplish your goal.

Organizing your workspace and your files on your computer are also ways to help you with developing discipline. By making sure you cut down on the time it takes for related tasks to accomplish your goals, you allow more time to actually do the work of the goal itself. To go back to the example of writing a book, if your research is well organized either in your workplace or in well-marked files on your computer, you will spend less time looking stuff up and more time actually writing. This will lead to faster writing as well since you are not interrupting the flow to spend time searching for something.   You will then be far more likely to actually finish writing that book. 

This is another example that really resonates with me from personal experience. In 2022 I was invited to contribute a chapter to The Entrepreneurs’ Toolkit for Success and I got a taste of the organization and discipline that writing required–and that was for a single chapter, not even a whole book!  Some of the tips and techniques that I described above really helped me stay on track, and I definitely plan to use them when I tackle my next writing goal of writing and publishing an entire book someday!  How have discipline and organization helped you get closer to achieving your goals?   

Not all learning is academic. In fact, self-improvement is an important aspect of lifelong learning; it involves learning about ourselves, developing awareness and being attuned to ourselves, and taking action to change or improve the things about our lives that help us achieve our goals and overall satisfaction.  As it happens, September is also Self-Improvement Month, so I’m excited to talk about the concept of self-improvement in this month’s blog series. This week, I’ll be focusing on an important factor that ties into our self-improvement journey: habits. Habits are things that we do on a regular basis, enough so that they feel more like second nature to us than something we’re making a concerted effort to do.  These habits, in turn, are what helps us support and maintain our self-improvement goals, whatever those may be.           

Three Steps to Creating New Habits

We all have times in our lives where we intentionally want to change our behavior for the better and create new habits for ourselves. This could be getting in the habit of eating healthier and drinking more water. Or it could be moving more and taking the dog for a daily walk. Or it could be work related, or spiritual, or… There are so many areas in our lives that could be improved and made easier if we created new habits.

Getting into the habit of doing something is often easier said than done. As with many other areas of life, making changes to our habits can be challenging.  I want to take a moment here to note that when I talk about habits, I’m intentionally avoiding labeling them as “good” or “bad.” It’s common to see habits categorized this way—in content about health, wellness, personal finance, and many other areas—but as a coach who’s committed to a nonjudgmental approach, I generally don’t think this labeling is helpful. It’s not for me or anyone else to deem a habit “good” or “bad,” instead it’s up to you to decide whether a habit that you have is serving you or standing in your way, and whether and how you might want to change it or set a new habit.            

So, getting back to creating new habits: let’s break it down into a three-step process that makes it easy to follow until we’ve internalized the new behavior and made it a true habit – something we do automatically without having to think about, like brushing our teeth.

• Decide What You Want To Do. The first step is to decide what you want that new habit to be. Be as specific as possible. Don’t just tell yourself you want to move more. Instead say something like “I will go for a 30 minute walk every single day.”  (If this sounds familiar, that’s because it draws on the “S” in SMART goals that we discussed in a blog series earlier this year, and as with goal-setting, specificity in habit-setting is key.) Deciding what your new habit will be and committing to when and how you’re going to do it, is half the battle.
• Remind Yourself To Get It Done. The next few days should be smooth sailing. You’re motivated and excited to get this done. Sticking to your new habit isn’t an issue. But a few days in you’ll notice that it’s easy to slip back into old habits.  Maybe it’s raining and you don’t really want to go out and walk. Or maybe your day just gets away from you. This is when it’s important to have a daily reminder. Set an alert on your phone or add the new habit to your daily to-do list for a while.
• Make It Part Of Your Routine Until It Becomes A Habit. Which brings us to the last step. It takes some time before a new behavior becomes a true habit. Until then, a routine will work to your best advantage. Even before the new behavior becomes automatic, a routine will help you get it done without having to spend a lot of willpower or relying on daily reminders. Make that daily walk part of your after-dinner routine.

The Inverse Relationship Between Habits and Willpower

It can be hard to keep up willpower, especially when trying to set a new habit, or when that habit involves doing some things we aren’t that excited about in the moment—but that we know will benefit us and our goals in the long term. But what about getting up to take the kids to school every morning, brushing our teeth or going to work every day. Those may not be our favorite things to do either, but we do them daily without the risk of running out of willpower.

That’s because they have become habits. They are so ingrained in what we do and who we are that we do them without even considering skipping a day or a week. We don’t have to make a conscious decision each day to shower or drive to work. It’s just what we do – a habit. When you start to think about it, there is an inverse relationship between habits and willpower. When you first want to build a new habit, it takes a lot of willpower to get it done day in and day out. As you start to establish that habit, it becomes easier and easier to do until you don’t even have to think about it anymore.

While we’re in that transition from willpower to habit, we can use tools to make it easier. Use a to-do list or set a reminder to help stay on track. Find an accountability partner—another tactic that also helps with longer-term goal-setting–so the two of you can motivate each other and help bolster that willpower when it starts to fade after the first enthusiasm wears off. Even something as simple as laying out your clothes the night before and keeping your sneakers by the door will make it a little easier to go out for that walk or run, for example.  Do what you can to help your willpower along until you have made the new behavior a true habit. After that it’ll be easy and automatic and you’ve created a new lifelong habit.

How Long Does It Really Take To Create A New Habit?

You might have heard the common saying that it takes 21 days to form a new habit—but that’s kind of an odd and arbitrary timeframe, isn’t it?  So how long does it really take to create a new habit? The answer is that it depends.  Everyone’s situation is different, and I’m not a fan of attaching one-size-fits-all timeframes to new habit-creation, since that runs the risk of causing us to put pressure on ourselves or feel guilty if we haven’t embraced a new habit by someone else’s random deadline

It can also depend on how big of a change you’re making in moving from your old habit to the new one.  If it’s your habit to go to bed at midnight and you want to make a new habit of being in bed by 11:00pm, for example, it might not take long to make that relatively small change.  But if you’re looking to move toward, say, a 9:00pm bedtime, that might be more challenging and take longer (especially for folks who have caregiving or other home responsibilities that take up time in the evenings after work).

When we ask that question, what we really want to know is how long do we have to tough it out before it gets easier? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel where we don’t have to try so hard anymore? In other words, when will this new behavior become automatic?

While it will be different from one person to the next and even from one habit to the next, there are a few things to keep in mind. It’s easier to make a new habit than get rid of an old one. Be prepared to work a lot harder to give up checking your email every two minutes, if you’re trying to get out of the habit of being so tethered to your computer or mobile device. Whenever possible, try to replace an old habit with a new one. For example if you’re wanting to give up coffee, brew a cup of herbal tea in the morning and throughout the day when you would usually reach for your cup of joe.

Habits will form faster if you stick to the same time and environment each day. Instead of going for a walk whenever, keep your sneakers next to the door and schedule your walk every day at 6pm, right after dinner for example.  A constant reminder of why you’re trying to change your behavior is also helpful. Remind yourself every day that you’re exercising so your body stays strong, and you can go play with the kids or grandkids in the yard. Or that you’re cutting down on TV-watching or social media-scrolling time so that you can make faster headway on your market research and drafting a business plan for that entrepreneurial venture you’ve been dreaming of for years.  Yes, it will take some time to make new habits and replace old ones. But it will be well worth it in the end.

While it will be differI hope these tips on creating new habits will be helpful and inspiring to you! (I’ve used these myself and continue to use them as I make new habits of my own.) Next week, I’ll be back to discuss how to optimize our strengths (yes, we all have them, even if there are times where we’re in a rut and it’s hard to recognize our strengths!) in service of our self-improvement goals.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice makes perfect. Even if you slip up and don’t stick to your goal 100%, keep going and work on it every single day. Practice making smart choices. For example, if you’re working on a health-related goal, cook some healthy food. Go for a walk on your lunch break and try to cut back on the amount of cigarettes you smoke. Cut back on the lunches you eat out and try to do something free on the weekend if living more frugally is your goal. Keep practicing and you’ll start to get into the habit of doing things the new way.

Make It Easy to Form the New Habits

You also want to make it as easy as possible to stick to your new habits. If you’re trying to eat healthier, keep some of less-healthy foods that you find yourself tempted to binge out of the house (or buy them in smaller quantities or split that package of chips, cookies, candy, etc. with a family member or friend and give them half to take home). If you’re trying to improve your fitness or strength, keep a bag with workout clothes in your car and your sneakers by the door. If you want to pay off your credit cards and avoid charging anything else on them, freeze the cards (literally—some friends I know have frozen their credit card in a block of ice in the freezer so that they can access the card if a true emergency comes up but they’ve created a barrier that helps keep them from turning to the card for impulse purchases). Do what you can to remove temptations to slip back into old “bad” habits.

Catch Yourself Early When You Slip Back into Your Old Ways

Pay attention to your behavior and start to recognize when, how and under what circumstances you’re most likely to slip back into your old habits. Keeping a journal may help you do that. (I wrote a little about journaling as a tool for self-accountability last week and will share more about the benefits of journaling in an upcoming blog series!)

Often, just being aware of the things that tempt us to stray from our goals will help muster the willpower to stop it. It can also be helpful to replace old rituals with new ones. Replace that bowl of ice cream or bag of chips you’d munch on at night with a cup of herbal tea.  If you have a fitness goal, replace some of your TV-watching time with a workout (or multitask and do some at-home workouts while watching your favorite show.) Or if, for example, you have an entrepreneurship-related goal, spend some time at the end of your day doing one thing related to your business aspirations.  It doesn’t have to be big or time-consuming—in other words, you don’t have to write your whole business plan in one night after you’re already tapped out at the end of your regular work day!—it can be as simple and as fun as browsing social media and websites of your prospective competitors or of entrepreneurs you admire to get a sense of the market or find some inspiration.  Make working toward your goal part of your new evening or daily ritual and keep creating new habits that you can stick with for life!

Recommitting

Having said all of the above—sometimes we’re following all the “right” steps to stay motivated and accountable and just need an extra boost or a bigger, bolder push to recommit yourself to your goals and stay on track. May is National Recommitment Month and in next month’s blog series, Flourishing Fiercely will be diving into why we need to recommit sometimes and how we can re-energize ourselves when life gets in the way. I’m posting today from beautiful Miami where I’ve been attending a conference for work, and the colorful plants, sun, and warm air have been just what I needed to give myself a mental pick-me-up (spring flowers and temperatures are still slowly making their way to my hometown of Chicago!) I even rented a bicycle and took time during a conference break to get outside and explore a local park and bike path. One thing to know about me is that back home, I am not a regular cyclist, or a very confident one, so my two-wheel exploring definitely required me to step out of my comfort zone–and it felt great! As we close out the month of April, I hope I’ve helped inspire you to set some SMART goals and make a plan to reach them. And I encourage you to do something to step out of your comfort zone and energize yourself for your path ahead!