Welcome back to the English with Neil podcast, episode number 18.
The topic of today's episode is how to start a new habit and stick to it.
How do we start a new habit and become successful and actually achieve that new habit?
And reap the benefits of that new habit.
That's what we're going to talk about today.
So I think habits are very essential for our overall growth and development.
Building a new habit, starting something new gives us fulfillment in life.
But the challenge that comes with starting a new habit is how do we develop the discipline?
How do we develop the consistency to actually stick to that new habit and make it a part of our daily lives?
That's what we're going to go over today.
So when we're starting a new habit, we have a goal in mind.
We want to start something new.
What should we do to be successful?
So number one is to set clear goals.
We need to figure out who is this new habit for?
Are we doing this for ourselves or are we doing it for someone else?
That's number one.
Number two, why?
In American English, we say figure out your why.
What this means is.
Figure out why you would like to start this new habit.
Is it for better health?
Is it just for enjoyment?
Is it for career advancement?
Why are you starting this new habit?
So I'd like to give you an example.
Just recently I set a new goal to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, because I was feeling a little tired throughout the day and I realized it was because I wasn't getting enough sleep at night.
So I made a goal. to sleep at least eight hours every single night.
I made a simple sentence and I said I'd like to get at least eight hours of sleep every night, because I want to have more energy throughout the day.
The new habit was for me.
Why?
Because I wanted to have more energy throughout the day, because I was feeling a little sleepy and I realized wait, wait a minute.
It's because I wasn't sleeping enough.
OK, so set clear goals and then figure out your why.
The next thing we need to do is prepare for the challenges.
Anytime we're starting something new, there's always going to be a challenge.
It's never going to be easy when we first start.
So for me I'll go back to myself with my new habit the challenge that I faced was coming home at a decent time to eat dinner and then prepare for bed, because I work late at night, and so the challenge that I face Was coming home early, finishing my work efficiently, doing a good job, and then coming home eating dinner and then going to sleep.
So the challenge I faced was, you know, coming home at a decent time, you know, and that's hard sometimes.
But we need to prepare for the challenges to help.
Help us prepare, you know, for when they come up, we know how to deal with them.
Okay.
And so now let's get into the fun stuff.
We have the new routine or excuse me, we have the new habit in mind.
But how do we become successful?
How do we incorporate it, put it into our daily lives?
Well, this tip comes from the book Atomic Habits, and the author, James Clear, suggests make it into a routine.
Make this new habit a part of your daily life.
Let's use studying English, for example.
Maybe you wanna learn new vocabulary so that you can become a more fluent speaker.
How are you going to learn new vocabulary?
Well, if you have a vocabulary list, if you have a book that you're reading And there's a lot of vocabulary that you don't know.
Research one word every single day.
Try to use that word throughout the day with your friends.
You know writing.
And then do the same thing the next day.
When you wake up, learn a new word.
Use it throughout the day.
And you'll be surprised.
At the end of 30 days you'll have 30 new words that you have built into your vocabulary.
And taking it one step further, it'll be fun to make this into a game.
Now, James Clear also suggests that we should try this game called Don't Break the Chain.
Don't Break the Chain is a game where you have a calendar And every time you do that new routine you put an X on the calendar.
You put an X for that day.
The next day you do the routine.
You put another X the next day and X.
So in one week you'll see that all of these X's formed a chain and the goal is to not break the chain.
You want to have a consistent chain all the way to the end of the month.
And at the end of the month you can say wow, I actually I stayed committed to my goals.
I didn't break the chain.
And now you can go, reward yourself and start again the next month, and the next month, and the next month.
And then at the end of the year you go, wow, I started this new goal.
I made it into a game.
And now it's a part of your daily routine.
You're successful now.
And so this is very efficient.
And it's fun.
Sometimes, when things are fun, when it's a game, it's more fun versus making it into a study thing or something like oh, we have to do this.
Make it fun.
Make it into a game and you'll be successful with it.
And the last thing that I want to recommend is to understand that when you're starting a new habit, you're not going to be perfect in the beginning.
You're going to have days where you don't feel like doing it.
You're going to have days where.
You make mistakes.
And if you're playing the chain game, there might be some days where you break the chain.
But that's completely okay.
It's totally fine.
Just start again the next day and continue the chain.
No pressure.
No harm.
Okay?
So again, let's review how to start a new habit and be successful and stick with that habit.
Number one, set clear goals.
Who is this goal for?
Is it for you or for someone else?
Number two, determine your why.
Why are you starting this new habit?
Number three, prepare for the challenges.
Prepare for the challenges ahead.
Number four, make the new habit into a routine.
And make it fun by turning it into a game.
Don't break the chains.
Play that game.
And number five, just understand that it won't be perfect in the beginning, but you just keep going.
You do your best and you'll be all right.
All right, everyone.
That is it for today's episode.
Thank you for listening to the English with Neil podcast.
I look forward to speaking with you next week in episode 19.
Take care everyone and talk to you soon.
Peace.
