3 Keys to Establishing a Habit

Ultimately, people do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future. ~John C. Maxwell in The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

Habits are those things we do without thinking about them. They’re ingrained into our brains. If they’re good habits, they can go a long way toward helping us reach our goals.

Here are a few habits I’m currently trying to establish in my life.

Spend 15 minutes a day working on a long-term project. Right now, it’s the e-book I want to publish in 2013. Later on, it could be spring cleaning the house or organizing stacks of photos.

Eat only one (or no) sweet food each day.

Be consistent in daily prayer.

Exercise five times a week. I’m attempting to walk or ride my bike in the neighborhood every week day.

I have found that, for me, there are three keys to establishing a habit.

1. Setting a specific time period for accomplishing the habit or tying it to an already scheduled activity.

2. Accountability. Tracking my progress on paper works well for me. Perhaps even more powerful is sharing the habit I’m trying to develop with other people – like you, my blog readers. 🙂

3. Not giving up when I fail. I have to look at each day as a fresh start and refuse to quit just because I didn’t follow through yesterday.

Are you working on adding any habits to your life? What helps keep you on track?