In the last 24 hours, I’ve tried to read a book on three separate occasions. Each time, I flipped to my bookmark that hasn’t moved in weeks, read one paragraph, and somehow, the next thing I remember is waking up from an unplanned nap. “Hm.” I thought to myself. “That wasn’t what I intended.” Unfortunately, this is how starting a new habit goes sometimes. We’re trying… sort of. But for whatever reason, it just isn’t working out. 

Some of you might get to this point and say, “I don’t know what it is, I just can’t get myself to do it!”

I get it, I literally said this to myself yesterday.

But when I thought this, I was making a fatal error. I went from “I want to” to “I can’t” with very little thought between the two. I wasn’t being serious about making a change in my life, I was only talking about it. If we don’t put thought and intention behind the changes we want to make, they won’t happen, period. 

So if we want to actually succeed at starting, we need to do some brainstorming, we need to talk it out, and get a clear picture of it in our minds. Otherwise, it’s all just talk. 

Today’s post will walk you through some super easy brainstorming to do before you try to start a habit.

If you answer these for yourself, it will help you get a clear picture of what you want and why you want it, so when you set out to actually start, you can do it with clarity. 

Get out a pen and paper and answer the following questions. I mean it. Please actually write your answers down, because it does make a difference when you do. And when you’re done, take your piece of paper and tape it somewhere you’ll be able to see it (I’m going to tape mine on the ceiling above my bed so I can see it before I go to sleep).

Just doing this internal work for yourself will give you a much better chance at actually following through on something you’ve been meaning to do for ages. 

1. What three habits would you like to start sometime in the near future?

 These don’t have to be anything major. Just small adjustments that you would like to make in your daily life.

My example: The three daily habits I’d like to start are reading more, writing 300 words a day, and doing push-ups. 

2. Pick one of these things to start tomorrow. Which do you want to tackle first?

My example: Read more.

3. Is this something you can quantify?

If you haven’t already, make it more specific by naming how much of that thing you want to do per day.

My example: I want to read at least 10 pages per day

4. Is there an optimal time or place for this new habit in your daily life?

Write down when you would like to try to do this on a daily basis. Would this best be suited for morning or night time? Or is this something you could do along with something else in your day? Be specific about when this would fit into your life, even if you have to move some things around to do it. 

My example: Before I go to bed at night, sometime before 11:00pm.

5. What has gotten in the way of you doing this before?

My example: I wait until it’s midnight to get ready for bed and then I’m way too tired to read.

6. How can you begin to combat this barrier? Have you done anything to overcome this in the past?

My example: I can plan to go to bed a bit earlier, or go to my room around 10:30 so I can wind down before picking up the book. In the past, I would plan a specific time to read.

7. Why do you want to start this new habit?

My example: I want to learn more, and I always feel good after I do some reading. I have so many books to read and I keep buying them and then not reading them. I want to work through some of the books I have before I get any more.

8. How would it benefit you to do this every day? List your answers.

My example: I would be in a better mood, I’d have more to talk about with people, I’d occupy my mind with interesting things. I’d become a more “well read” person. I’d have a more consistent night time routine. This would also help me stay off of social media a bit before I go to sleep. 

9. How can you adjust your surroundings or the objects around you to encourage you to follow through?

Sometimes adjusting your surroundings can set you up for success, because physical reminders make it more likely that you’ll follow through.

My example:  I can adjust my surroundings by placing my book on my pillow when I make my bed in the morning. That way, it’ll be there to remind me when I return to my room at night.

10. How might you keep track of your progress?

Keeping track of the days you do your habit can really help motivate you to do more of it. If you get a chain of days where you consistently did it, then you might feel more inclined to keep your streak going!

My example: Make a monthly checklist or download a habit tracker so I can check off the days that I do it. 

11. Is there anyone in your life who could help keep you accountable?

You don’t necessarily need an accountability partner, but sometimes having one can be a huge help!

My example: I could tell my partner what time I plan on reading and ask him to help keep me accountable.

12. What can you do right in this moment to increase the chance that you will follow through?

Can you set a timer or alarm? Could you take that step of adjusting your environment?

My example: Set an alarm at 10:00 to let me know to get ready for bed/reading. Go place my book on my pillow.

13. What is the next step you can take to work towards developing your new habit? 

My example: Find or make a habit tracker so I can start recording my progress when I do it for the first time tonight :).

Do you have your answers?

Great! Now go place them somewhere where they’ll remind you of what you want to start. And commit to taking that first step whenever you’re able :). Once you’ve started making progress on this first habit, go back and do this same brainstorming with another one. And when you’re ready, start this process all over again.

Repeat it enough times, and you’ll see some big changes.

---

Did this post resonate with you? If so, I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or send me a message to share your thoughts. For more uplifting content, check out some other posts on my blog, follow me on instagram @morgan_barbret, or sign up for the Self Love Atlas Newsletter!

Cheers, 

Morgan Rita Barbret