We’ve been exploring habit formation in this series, but you may still be struggling. That’s why this episode introduces three tools that make habits easy.

If you listened to the last episode in the Courageous Habits Series then you are already 50% of the way there to being effective with your habit formation ability.

Just knowing the anatomy of a habit is good, but now let’s take habit formation to the next level.

In this episode

• How to shape your environment to make habits more natural
• How to set up a habit with 5 minutes of practice
• Building community and accountability around your habit

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References

Coach.me | Website | iTunes Store | Android Store

One week of FREE coaching by me: Promo-code – SAMUELHATTONWEEK

Other Courageous Habits Series episodes

Part 1: Why Habits Build Self-Confidence

Part 2: How to Form a Habit

Part 4: Universal Courageous Habits

Part 5: Unique Courageous Habits

The 3 Tools That Make Habits Easy

1) Shape the environment

Everyone has some control over some aspects of their environment. We can shape these environment in order to make habits easier for us to form.

At one point, I was intentionally forming the habit of drinking tea in the morning.

The routine for drinking tea was to remove the tea percolator (electronic kettle) from the cupboard, fill it with water, and turn it on.

— This was too long a routine. So I shaped the environment.

I set up the environment so that the tea percolator and the water was already filled.

With the environment shaped, all I had to do to form the habit of drinking tea was to turn on the percolator.

Getting the routine started after entering the kitchen went from 2 minutes to 1 second. The key is to lower the bar as much as possible to get the routine started.

Easy! I had tea every morning.

2) Practice your habit for 5 minutes

Another tool that you can use for creating habits that stick is practicing the habit over and over in one 5 minute time chunk.

Maybe you are snoozing a lot and want to build the habit of jumping out of bed. Do this any time during the day to help you work on the habit.

Set your phone alarm to go off in 1 minutes, 2 minute, 3, 4, 5 minute..

Lay down in your bed with night clothes and covers on.

When the alarms goes off, immediately jump out of the bed. Then reinforce the habit by celebrating. (Big smile, victory dance, saying that you are awesome, etc.)

After you are pumped. Do the whole routine over again for 5 minutes. This will train your body to do the habit.

Try it! It totally works!

3) Get accountability

Getting someone else involved in your habit is another way to make habit formation even easier.

You can get accountability in a number of ways: friend, support group, etc.

The best tool out there I have found for accountability is coach.me.

Its an app that allows you to add habits that you are working on in a group setting. You find several other people with the same habits. It’s encouraging because you are in it with others.

Take it to the next level by hiring an accountability coach.

In fact, I am a coach.me coach and would be happy to assist. I’ll even give you a week for FREE (use promo-code SAMUELHATTONWEEK). Get started.

Otherwise, find an accountability partner who is willing to confront you and will ask you the hard questions when you don’t have good results.

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