We are fresh into a New Year, which always brings up a lot of talk about new goals for the year ahead. Time to learn how to create and actually stick with new habits. While this conversation is often buzzed about to kick off a new year, it’s important to understand that you can implement new, healthy habits any day you wish.
To be honest, I used to hate allll the talk about “New Year, New Habits”. As I said, you can set a new goal for yourself *anytime* — so why all this heightened fixation on new goals with the dawn of a new year?
Since having children, however, I have found a renewed love for creating and actually sticking with new habits to kick off a new year. Why? Well, it’s a welcomed time to hit PAUSE in an otherwise busy life season of raising littles. To take time and reflect on what new goals I wish to actually implement.
In recent years, I have loved taking time collectively with my husband and independently on my own to reflect on the year past, and plan for the year to come. There truly is something special about taking time to PAUSE – to look back on the past, sit peacefully in the present and look forward to the future.
Pause: Answer These Questions
I invite you to pause and reflect on the below prompts. Whether this article finds you kicking off a new year, new month or simply smack dab in the middle of LIFE – take a moment to reflect and journal on these questions:
What has been on your heart that you have been putting off?
Is this the year you make small, but steady, steps in the direction you envision your life going?
Where do you see yourself a year from now?
What goals will help pave the way to reach your vision for the year ahead?
How do you want to feel as you move through this year?
Where do you feel called to lean into? Or, to pull back from?
After taking some time to sit with your thoughts, let’s dive into how you can *actually* create and stick with these new habits!
Two Words: Habit Stacking
Yes, there’s a game-changing strategy that can turn your aspirations into concrete habits: habit stacking. It’s not about sheer willpower or drastic overhauls but rather the clever intertwining of new behaviors with existing routines.
We’re talking simple, sustainable implementation of new goals mixed in with your existing *good* habits.
THIS is how we set the stage to march onward with our intentions in February without leaving them behind in January.
UNDERSTANDING HABIT STACKING
At its core, habit stacking is a behavioral technique that leverages the brain’s tendency to fall into familiar patterns. It involves linking a new habit with an established one, creating a mental chain reaction that nudges you toward consistent action.
Imagine this: you already brew your morning coffee religiously. What if, as the coffee brews, you pair it with a short stretching routine or reading a few pages of a book? That’s habit stacking in action. You’re attaching your *new* desired behavior to an existing, ingrained one.
Another example: you give your kids a bath each evening. Your goal is to do a face mask 2-3 times a week to support your skin health. Why not put a face mask on while your kiddos are in the bath, while you are safely in the bathroom right next to them? This gives you the desired self care time you deserve, without taking any extra time out of your day! Again, habit stacking in action.
^^ The above are examples that I personally use on a weekly basis in my own life as a mother with two small littles (who also happens to be 8 months pregnant while typing this).
CREATING YOUR HABIT STACK
The key to effective habit stacking lies in creating intentional pairings that resonate with your goals and existing routines. Here’s a simple blueprint to kickstart your habit-stacking journey:
- Identify Your Existing Daily Habits: Pinpoint the core routines you consistently perform. These could be brushing teeth, having breakfast, or winding down before bed.
- Pinpoint Your New Habit / Goal: Select a habit aligned with your goals—whether it be fitness, reading, nutrition, or mindfulness.
- Pair and Commit: Intertwine the new habit with the existing one. For instance, after breakfast, commit to a 10-minute mobility routine or meditation session. Or, follow putting the kids to bed with a 10 minute self care routine using your favorite face mask.
- Start Small, Build Up: Begin with manageable increments. As the habit solidifies, gradually expand the duration or complexity. For instance, a 20 or 30 minute mobility routine after breakfast in place of the 10 minute session you start off with. Or, adding use of a gua sha tool for lymphatic drainage following your face mask.
Embracing Roadblocks
Of course, any journey to change will encounters hurdles. The key is not to be disheartened by misses in these new additions to your routine. Give yourself grace, particularly if you are in a life season with young children, are pregnant, postpartum or are moving through grief.
If you miss a day or falter, show yourself kindness and recommit the next day. Consistency over perfection is the golden rule. Adaptability will also help you on days your existing routine changes. For instance, your young child was up three times through the night due to a bad cough, Instead of doing your morning mobility routine, perhaps you choose couch cuddles instead with your ill child. Later in the day when they are napping, you may then choose to do your mobility routine prior to accomplishing the other tasks you had intended for that time.
This is the key to longevity — giving yourself grace and adapting as needed, keeping your ultimate goal in mind.
Creating Sustainable Goals
As the days roll into weeks and the weeks into months, you’ll find your habit stack transforming from a conscious effort to a seamless part of your daily rhythm. You’ll marvel at the subtle yet profound impact these small, consistent actions have on your life.
So, as you usher in this new year, don’t just list resolutions — create habits. Use the power of habit stacking to marry intention with action. As you fuse new behaviors with the familiar, watch as your goals cease to be distant aspirations but become tangible, lived realities.
After all, the path to self-improvement isn’t about grand gestures; it’s about the small, deliberate steps we take each day. Habit stacking empowers you to embark on that path with confidence and determination.
So, my friend, here’s to a year filled with creating and actually sticking with purposeful new habits to support the very best version of YOU!
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If you’re ready to up-level your habits surrounding Preconception, Pregnancy and Postpartum, then I invite you to check out our programming to support your perinatal life seasons. You can find all programs designed by a Holistic Doctor of Physical Therapy HERE. We hope to see you inside!
