There is nothing more effective than maintaining a solid level of consistency to excel in life. Consistency is the habit that leads to success. Whether it’s dedicating your morning listening to the latest news reports, allocating your lunch break to squeeze in a workout, or reducing your to-dos and objectives to writing, the key to these actions is doing them consistently. In a world full of constants, it’s vital to maintain a level of steadiness and consistency in your behavior and schedule the things that are most important to you without fail.

Personally, my evenings during the week are dedicated to my workouts and I make it a point to go straight to the gym after work. Once I get home and hit the sofa, it’s all over. I make a commitment to exercise because it reduces stress, increases my level of energy and keeps me in shape. I commit to it and follow through. On a professional level, I structure my days to ensure that I am as productive as possible by documenting my to-dos and leaving at the end of the work day with a sense of accomplishment. I make it a priority to list my objectives for the following day before I leave the office. This strategy forces me to analyze my existing to-do list, review my accomplishments and re-prioritize for the following day. When I show up for work the next day, my pre-analyzed list is there and waiting. There are many times that we are so caught up in the flow of the day, that we lose sight of the big picture and can’t see the forest through the trees. Emails, phone calls, office visits and unexpected fires in the workplace are inevitable. I make a habit of prioritizing my to-dos because it increases my level of productivity.

Force yourself to incorporate consistent and positive actions or behaviors into your daily routine until they fall into the habit loop and become automated. So how long does it take to form a new habit? According to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Health Psychology Researcher, Phillippa Lally determined that it takes anywhere from 18 to 254 days for people to form a new habit.

The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. Each person chose one new habit for the 12 weeks and reported each day on whether they did the behavior and how automatic the behavior felt.

Some people chose simple habits like “drinking a bottle of water with lunch.” Others chose more difficult tasks like “running for 15 minutes before dinner.” At the end of the 12 weeks, the researchers analyzed the data to determine how long it took each person to go from starting a new behavior to automatically doing it.

On average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. And how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. Again, in Lally’s study, it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a new habit.”

Make a commitment to excellence and make the lifestyle and professional choices needed to create consistent and positive habits in your life. We are all striving to be better versions of ourselves, so make the commitment to do just that and make one positive change today and do it consistently. In at least 66 days from now, you will look back and be happy that you did!

Source: https://jamesclear.com/new-habit

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Written By: Jodie Mateu, VP of Special Events & Productivity, and Franchisee