Maybe you want to start brushing your teeth after you eat lunch. Or to exercise half an hour after work every day. Or to start doing the dishes after dinner each night so they don’t pile up day after day. These are great new habits to develop, but after a day or two, you might find it a lot harder to commit to these activities than you expected it to be.
That’s why it’s important to hack your brain into helping you build these goals into new habits. Pick the Brain has some great suggestions for you to start tricking yourself into developing a new habit, starting with setting small goals. Rather than saying, “I’m going to run every night,” tell yourself, “I’m going to run every night this week.”
Next, try using triggers. For example, if you want to brush your teeth after lunch every day, program yourself to start doing so right before you head back to work, or just after you finish the drink you enjoy with lunch.
The rest of their tips are just as useful in building a new habit, although I find making it fun one of the most successful hacks around. After all, if you want to do something every day, you’ll find it a lot easier to stick with.
Original Source – How to Trick Your Brain to Create a New Healthy Habit [Pick the Brain]
