I have heard so many people say, “I already know what I need to do but I just can’t seem to get started” or “Once I start, I have trouble staying motivated.”
If that sounds like you, you are not alone. I have said this and I’ve heard it from strangers, friends, family, my mother, and even my grandmother.
This is because of our monkey mind.
Have you heard of “monkey mind” before? If not, I recommend you read ‘The Chimp Paradox’ by Steve Peters.
This book talks about the power of the mind, how the brain works, and compartmentalizes it into three categories: the chimp, the human, and the computer.
The chimp, aka the monkey mind, doesn’t like anything that it considers work or anything that doesn’t yield instant gratification.
For the monkey mind, that 60-minute yoga class or even 20 minute run, sounds like a chore…
But I have found a loophole ☝🏻 The chimp will not object to 5 minutes!
How could it object? It’s simple, it’s fast, it’s easy – it’s only 5 minutes and you’re done!
How to apply it…
1. Choose ANY habit you want to start
2. Make a plan to do it EVERY SINGLE DAY.
3. Set a timer for 5 minutes and do it.
Go for a 5 Minute Walk or Run with your Dog
Grab Some Hand Weights and Lift for 5 Minutes
Roll Out Your Yoga Mat for a 5-minute Practice
Eventually, you can increase the time of each habit.
Now for some people, like me, starting a new habit may be challenging PERIOD! even if it’s just 5 minutes.
For these special humans, I recommend starting even smaller. For example, wake up and drink water every morning. Takes about 2 minutes.
To make it easier, use habit stacking.
If you don’t know what habit stacking is, read ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear.
If reading isn’t your thing, you’ll be happy to know that there are audio versions available for the books mentioned here.
In this book, James Clear talks about how to successfully habit stack and I love the way he describes it, “….building new habits by taking advantage of old ones”.
Find a habit you already have – use it as a cue to stack the one you want to start, on top of it.
For me, it was morning coffee. I used that as a cue to pour water and drink it before I drank the coffee. Et voilá! New habit successfully completed with less cognitive load on the brain.
That covers the good habits you want to build but what about the bad habits you want to get rid of?
That’s a tad trickier because some of what we consider to be bad habits may be deeply rooted in trauma, coping mechanisms, and other psychological themes that need to be unpacked.
For help with “bad habits”, I recommend working with a therapist, psychologist, or habit mentor.
Schedule a habit chat with me here.
If one of your “bad habits” happens to be smoking cigarettes, it was one of mine, download QuitSure…
I personally had been struggling with smoking for 14 years and this app got into my brain in the best way. After the 6 days, I was CURED of my cravings for these nasty little suckers 😂 and you get 20% off with my link.
If at this point you are saying to yourself, “yea, ok this is doable” but you don’t want to do it alone.
Having access to a supportive group of friends or family to keep you accountable and cheer you on can make all the difference.
Willpower is not sustainable for most people and it will not take you the distance.
“If you want to go fast, go alone.
– Author unclear
If you want to go far, go together.”
You can do this! All you have to do to get started is believe in yourself. I believe in you.
Once you successfully build that first new habit, it will give you the motivation and encouragement you need to take on the next one, and the one after that.
Before you know it, you will be building the life of your dreams, brick by brick, habit by habit.