The first step to any new habit is always the hardest. To ease the transition, create a ritual that prepares you for the task to bridge the gap between your existing routine and your new one.
Picture: Liz West/Flickr
As tips blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree explains, we often use certain rituals as bridges between tasks. Getting dressed and having coffee transitions you from sleep to work. By establishing a more favourable personal starting ritual, you can make it easier to start a task you’re not yet in the habit of doing.
So don’t make this some terrible grind of a habit. Make this a habit that’s a “personal starting ritual.” Get your coffee or whatever energizes you and turn that into a visceral signal that always means I’m getting going.
And here’s the best part: your starting ritual can be fun. As in doing some of the stuff you’d do when procrastinating.
Since the first step is always the hardest, making the first step something you enjoy (or at least that sets the mood for the task) distances you from the desire to avoid starting. So, you can start cleaning the kitchen by first having an energizing snack. Or before you start exercising, gear up with music you enjoy. Starting cold turkey, however, is a bigger strain on your willpower.
How To Stop Procrastinating: 4 New Steps Backed By Research [Barking Up the Wrong Tree]
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