I bet you probably done it before. The clock strikes midnight on a new year, and suddenly you are determined to start a new habit. But after a few weeks of training to start the new habit eventually fizzles out and you return to your old ways. If that sounds familiar then you are definitely not alone. This is something many women with ADHD struggle with, whether the new habits are related to a resolution or just simply are things we’d like to do…one day. You can make one-day start today and continue on for as long as you would like by implementing these 8 ways to stick to new habits.
What is the reason why you wanted to start the new habit – If you really want a habit to stick then you need to have some reason for it. This will help you stay motivated and on track, and it will prevent you from falling off the wagon. Just telling yourself that you should start the habit because it’s good for you is probably not enough. Perhaps you want to start meditating for five minutes in the morning so you are more present and patient with your kids. You may want to run a mile every day so you can build physical and mental endurance, which can help you overcome challenges in your life.
Start with one small habit- It is so easy to start changing all your habits all at once, however that could get over, and you could shut down. Instead start with one small habit, once you find success with this and master it then you can add on another one Implementing this small one into your daily life will become a disciplined routine, and you will learn strategies to incorporate for the next new habit you’ll develop
Focus on the end feeling and result- Starting a new habit can be difficult especially when it pushes you out of your comfort zone and it doesn’t come natural for you Instead of putting all your energy and attention towards how hard it is to start, think about the end result.
-How will this new habit make you feel after you implement it today?
-How will you feel after implementing it for a month? What about a year?
For example, opening one piece of mail from the day before, or not hitting the snooze button four or five times.
Have a someone hold you accountability- Accountability is super important in a lot of different areas of women with ADHD life. This is due to when you are starting something new. If you don’t have any accountability for your new habit, then you may not think twice about blowing it off on a tough day. A partner will help you stay on track. Who can be your accountability partner? You can also have a trusted and supportive family member or friend as your accountability partner, and they can hold you accountable with a simple text each day. You can also serve as your own accountability partner by keeping a daily tracker sheet handy for yourself.
Make the habit to be as easy as possible to carry out- Starting a habit can be difficult so try to make this new habit easy a possible for yourself. Why? Any friction will limit your chances of actually doing the thing. You want to make this habit so easy that you don’t even think twice about doing it. For instance if you want to open one or two pieces of mail then only take the top two pieces and open them and then either throw them away or put them somewhere you can file them later.
Try Habit Stacking- Habit stacking is a strategy to try if you are having difficulty with sticking to the new habit. What this strategy does it takes your existing habits and sandwiches new ones between them. It helps you rewire your brain’s autopilot mode. Say you want to do some mindfulness techniques for 5 minutes every morning. Instead of just doing it whenever you think about it, look at your existing habits. You might get dressed, take out the dogs, make coffee, and eat breakfast. Incorporating stacking would look like getting dressed, taking out the dogs, meditating for 5 minutes, and then making coffee and eating breakfast.
Develop a reward system- When you stick to a new habit no matter how big or small it is definitely something to reward yourself with .Having this reward system in place will help you stay motivated to keep going, and it is another way to hold yourself accountable. After one week of your habit, you may choose to have a movie night. One month into your habit, maybe you treat yourself to a spa day. After one year, perhaps you will go on a vacation. You will be able to stick to new habits if you stay focused, motivated, and keep your eyes on the horizon (aka, your end result!). If you tackle a new habit with positive and accountability, then you are more likely to succeed.