Just 30 Days To Positive Habits

Establishing positive habits is easier than you think. You only need the right tools to go about it.

You may have tried to create a positive habit in the past unsuccessfully. That is because, as with most of New Year's resolutions, we do not define them clearly:

• we try to embrace too much: "I want to build a profitable business in a month".

• we have vague goals: "I want to be fit". What does 'fit' mean for you? To be able to swim a mile in a minute?

• we don't have a plan: "I will have a million dollars in a year". Exactly how will you achieve that?

• we don't have a timescale: "I will buy a house". By when?

The key to creating positive habits and to reach any goal is to create SMART goals combined with a 30-day plan.

Of course a certain goal may require much more than 30 days to be accomplished, but it is more manageable if broken in 30-day chunks.

Find out more about what are SMART goals.

30 days Vs. 21 days

You can find in many books that you only need 21 days to create a habit. While this is true, I've personally found that 30 days to positive habits work better for a number of reasons:

• 30 days are almost a third more time than 21 days. This permits the new behaviour pattern to settle better.

• 30 days allow for a day "off", whether to rest or because unforeseen circumstances prevent you from doing the action of the habit on a certain day. For example, you may receive an unexpected visit or have to stay longer at the office and thus miss your daily hour of meditation; or you may be too tired and need a rest from exercising daily.

• While 21 days are sufficient to create a good habit, you need to be 'on the ball' 21 days in a row without missing one, and that creates a kind of mental pressure. 30 days to positive habits are the perfect measure to be consistent and relaxed about it at the same time.

I have discovered that a 30-day plan works better for me than a 21-day one. I recommend you follow the one you find more suitable for yourself.

There is an interesting program that I found useful when I started building positive habits: "The Power of Positive Habits". The ebook gives a range of habits in different areas of life that you can choose from to incorporate to your life. The software program displays a small window at certain times at your computer to remind you of the action you need to do to build the chosen habit. Find out more about "The Power of Positive Habits".

30 days to positive habits

I tried to create the positive habit of exercising several times over the years unsuccessfully, until I followed the SMART way to making goals combined with a 30-day plan.

For your guidance, I describe here how I experienced my 30 days to positive habits. You may find your experience is different, so I intend that mine serves you as a reference only. Having created many different positive habits using SMART goals on 30-day plans, I can tell you these methods work.

I'll take the example of exercising daily to describe a normal cycle of 30 days to positive habits:

• The first, second and third days are normally filled with enthusiasm and a strong will of exercising as planned. Targets are easily achieved.

• Between days 5 and 8 it feels a bit of a stage of recession and steadiness at the same time: I'm exercising, but I don't see anything happening.

• By day 15 I've taken one or two days "off" allowing for rest. I am halfway my goal and I am proud that I've exercised daily for two weeks already. It is much easier than I thought.

• Around day 20 I start seeing things happening: I am noticeable more flexible and fitter than twenty days ago. This is motivating, as I see that the effort I've put in is paying off.

• By day 25 I've rested one or two more days at some point. I now trust myself in that I can exercise daily if I like - it does not feel a chore anymore, but rather an action of will.

• By day 30 I am really proud of myself because I have kept the commitment I made with myself of exercising daily for 30 days. Besides, I have easily built the habit of exercising daily and I now feel like I want to exercise daily, rather than I have to do it.

You will find that you have much more self-confidence after you have accomplished a goal following the SMART way to make goals in a 30-day or 21-day cycle. This allows you to now choose a slightly bigger goal with the confidence that you can accomplish it easily.

Expanded horizons

You could use the methods describe in these pages powerfully to achieve larger goals. For example, you can choose to achieve a specific goal over one year using the 12 months as 30-day periods to break the large goal into manageable parts.

I have found a very good (and inexpensive) ebook with plenty of ideas to create positive habits to unclutter our lives and find more clarity and happiness: it's the "Zen habits handbook for life". It is extremely practical and you can start using its tips straight away. Follow the link for a review of the "Zen habits handbook for life".

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