5 Ways To Build Routines And Stick To Them – From An Accountability Coach
We are all filled with beautiful ideals when it comes to building routines. However, one thing that separates those who succeed and those who don’t is a highly optimised routine and an accountability coach to keep them in check.
A routine creates extreme focus and allows for significant business wins no matter what the industry. Whether it’s a morning ritual, a structure behind processes, or day-to-day outcomes you are pushing – a routine and productivity coach can make it happen.
Some standard routine methods are:
Implement a physical reminder to start the routine. This helps to give you that ‘jog’ to your memory. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight, print a bid reminder saying “you don’t need this” and stick it on the inside of your snack cupboard!
Make the routine fun by rewarding yourself upon completion. Having little rewards like a break, a coffee, a snack or a hobby all contribute towards building a routine. It needs to feel like an enjoyable experience, not a chore.
Add a penalty if you don’t achieve. Some people work better under the fear of loss or repercussion. Why not try using a service like Stickk.com and have a referee (like us here at Barking About Action!) to keep you on track and honest.
Start small. Most people try to add loads of things to their new routine. Add just one or two things at a time. Stick with them for at least 6 weeks before adding a new one.
Focus on one routine at a time. If you’re working on your morning routine, don’t try to build your evening one simultaneously. Work on one habit at a time to make sure your success stacking!
While the above tips are significant, we repeatedly hear them and still fail to discipline ourselves into a solid and consistent routine. The following five tips from an accountability coach are lesser-known but much more powerful. Learn these methods and exercise them in your daily life to guarantee success.
Tie a new routine to one you are familiar with
Once you have forged a genuine habit through consistent practice, it is much easier to build on that by adding another subcategory to that habit. It comes down to neurology and the way the human brain links up thoughts and experiences. It is easier and less exhausting for your brain to use a pathway that already exists rather than create an entirely new one. An example of this would be adding daily stretching to an already established gym routine.
Take advantage of gamification
For most habits and routines, it takes a while to see results. So before becoming motivated by progress, it’s crucial to trick your brain with tight, short, positive feedback loops. Our brain is addicted to positive feedback, and something as simple food, a silly prize, or a leader board can quickly tell our brain we are doing a good job and should continue forging this habit.
With that reward in place, it’s much easier to continue pushing toward long term results.
Analyse past routines and why they didn’t work
The next tip from our resident accountability coach involves self-awareness. While routine building requires a substantial amount of resilience and will power, it also needs self-awareness to figure out when things are not working out and why. You need to ask yourself probing questions such as:
How will I gain from this routine?
What will this outcome get me?
Does my life support this routine?
What parts of my life undermine this routine?
How empowered do I feel to change?
Forget about afternoons and evenings
Our ability to self-regulate rapidly diminishes as the day moves on. That is why it's crucial to be disciplined early in the day, ideally as soon as you have woken up. If you are hoping to succeed with a new routine, then practice in the morning and forget about the afternoon and evening.
Don’t try to build routines alone
Research highlights the massive power of social interaction in correcting and enhancing human behaviour. Simply put, our friends and family are the best at holding us accountable. This is why top athletes have a coach, and successful business people always have a mentor or board. If you want to push yourself, then don’t go it alone. An accountability coach is a perfect person to help you with your new routine and set you on the right path for success.
Barking About Action provides online accountability coaching. We are determined to help people be their best selves. The systems and processes we have allow people to succeed in their chosen field. If you are interested in developing a golden routine and having a habit coach to keep you in check, then reach out today.