To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior.
Maxwell Maltz
In the 3.0 discussion on change I addressed changing behavior and talked about adjusting the instrument I was playing, and the consistent practice needed to gain proficiency in making music on my Ukelele. I want to talk more about habits and ideas that might make creating new ones more effective.
As humans we are creatures of habit and there is a reason for that. Daily life would be exhausting if each action we had to do to live life was not somewhat habitual. When the alarm goes off, we begin our daily actions which eventually consists of swinging our legs out of the bed, standing up and heading off to the bathroom. Each person’s routine is probably different at this point, but nonetheless, we go through a routine to ready ourselves for the day’s activities. Most of this routine is automatic so to change a part of it you must think about and practice a change to create a new and different habit.
Let’s pretend that you have, for years, used the snooze function on your alarm and have found that practice to be something that you would like to change for any number of reasons. Because you have done this behavior for so long, you find that it is automatic in nature, you do not even realize you are doing it, until you’ve woken later than intended. The new action might then involve other behaviors to help you avoid this such as placing your clock or phone out of arms reach, setting another alarm, using a different ring tone or any other number of changes that force a different response from you. There may need to be adjustments as you work through the process. If you are a serial snoozer, maybe cut the snooze down to just one at first, or maybe you cut the snooze time in half to begin the process. Finding a solution and change that works for you and you are willing to consistently do is key.
The first mornings of your routine will probably be the most difficult as your body and mind adjusts to a different routine. However, with practice and over time, you will find it easier to respond to the initial alarm, and the more you do this the easier it will become.
Finally, don’t forget to reward yourself when you make positive strides in your behavior change. All too often we forget how difficult it is to make change and therefore tend to beat ourselves up when we do not do this perfectly and forget to give ourselves the proverbial pat on the back when we are successful. Striving for change is a challenge and credit needs to be given when new habits are formed.