In my last post, I outlined the benefits of giving yourself a fresh start when it comes to a behaviour, a habit or an approach to an aspect of your life.
This time, I want to share some other simple but practical considerations that help when making your fresh start. See what resonates with you and your context and build them in where you can.
Practical Strategies for Your Fresh Start
Here are eight simple ways you can ensure your fresh start gets you the results you’re looking for.
1. Scale it back. Maybe you were overcommitting or being overly optimistic when you started the new year. It’s understandable, given how exciting it can be to initiate a change. Consider scaling back to an almost tokenistic level. Five minutes of reading, ten minutes practicing Spanish verbs, one press-up. Make it so easy that you can’t not do it. By starting small, you’re no longer saying “I will do it someday” – you’ve actually started, which feels great. And remember: you can always do more in the future.
2. Link it to your values. Connect your change to who you want to be as a person. When your new behaviour represents your identity and values, it becomes a powerful mental touchstone during challenging moments. You are more able to answer “Why am I doing this?” and the answer will representative of what matters to you.
3. Reframe deprivation as benefit. Instead of focusing on what you’re giving up or how hard something is, focus on the desirable outcomes. What will you gain from this change? How will you benefit? How will it feel to make this behaviour part of your routine?
4. Plan for obstacles. Be clear about what’s likely to make this difficult and consider realistic strategies for dealing with challenges. Being overoptimistic can make challenges feel like catastrophes. What will you do when you feel too tired to go to the gym? How will you respond when you’re asked out to the pub when you should be attending your language class? Consider realistic ways of navigating life’s inevitable curve balls – perhaps using your values as inspiration. That way, when obstacles do arise, you’ll have already rehearsed how to handle them.
5. Set up your environment. Consider how you can make small changes to your surroundings to make change easier. Place your trainers by the door if you want to walk more. Remove (delicious) temptations from your fridge. Put up reminders where you’ll see them. Delete social media apps from your phone. Leave your book by your bed. These simple physical changes can dramatically reduce friction and make adhering to your new routines significantly easier.
6. Build in social accountability. Book clubs and exercise classes are built on this principle. ‘We’re all in it together!’ Doing things with other people creates a powerful sense of commitment. You’re less likely to skip when you know someone else is counting on you to be there with them. So organise a walk with a friend. Sign up for an exercise challenge with a colleague. Attend a language class with your spouse. The impact of social accountability will stop thoughts about giving up in their tracks.
7. Track your journey visually. When making change, we can undermine ourselves by relying on our memory. Instead, make a note of when you engage in your new behaviour. Use a post-in note or one of the plethora of habit-tracking apps out there. The principle is the same: a visual representation of our behaviour can be motivating as we see our consistency in action. But remember: this is data, not an evaluation of you as a person. When there are missed days, approach them with curiosity rather than self-criticism. Use your habit tracking to refine your approach, not as an excuse to give up.
8. Focus on consistency, not results. A lunchtime walk each afternoon isn’t going to change your world. But daily walks over months will improve your mental health, your cardiovascular health and your waistline. If you aim to be consistent with small things over time, you’re less likely to be disappointed by a lack of dramatic results. Consistency is the goal, and it opens the door to more learning and adaptation. The desired results will come in time.
Eight simple principles to build into your fresh start. And now, with the start of another month, you have the perfect opportunity to give yourself another opportunity to make the changes you’d like. To learn more about the concept, check out this recent episode of the podcast.
