Surely by now you have seen things on the internet claiming to be “life hacks.” Like peeling a banana from the bottom, or tying something bright to your suitcase so it’s easier to spot on the luggage carousel. Well, I am here to share my top 3 favorite “life hacks” with you today!
These three things have easily had some of the biggest impact in my adult life.
The first one is: Use a habit tracker.
You can download an app for this; it’s super easy and doesn’t take a whole lot of time…WOW! This is huge for me!
Do you ever feel like you are crushing it with your healthy habits only to see no change in your life? Start using a habit tracker and you will quickly learn that as humans, we tend to think we are doing way better than we really are. The tracker I use even gives me a percentage score at the end of the week. I aim for 80%.
I like the habit tracker for three different reasons:
1) It is satisfying to swipe that completed bar on each habit!
2) It keeps us honest and gives us a visual representation of our efforts.
3) It motivates us to keep a habit streak going.
The next life hack is: STOP relying on motivation.
Seriously, we’ve written another blog on this topic, you can find it here. In short, motivation is a fleeting feeling. If we only did things when we were motivated, then pretty much nothing would get done. We often hear people say “I wish I could workout but I just don’t have the motivation.”
Could you imagine looking at your boss and saying, “I wish I could finish my work by that deadline, but I am just not motivated.” You would be without a job pretty darn quick!
We urge you to replace “motivation” with “discipline.” Do the things even when you don’t want to do them and watch how quickly you gain some momentum. It is an empowering feeling to push through a workout when you aren’t feeling like it, or choosing to snack on some fruit instead of the potato chips.
Lastly, and most importantly: Become a part of a community that practices the habits you desire.
Surround yourself with people who are prioritizing their health, striving to learn more, setting big goals for themselves, etc. When your desired behavior is the normal behavior of your community it will soon be your normal behavior as well.
I used to be the kid that tried getting out of running the mile in PE class and continued to use my passionate hate for running as part of my personality through my young adult life. Now, I consider running one of my favorite hobbies and have completed multiple trail half marathons. This change happened because I am part of a community that wakes up early on Saturday mornings, runs for extended amounts of time in the woods, and continually pushes the limits of their comfort zone!
I’ve given you three “life hacks.” Pick one and start using it. If you want to start the habit tracking, I suggest you grab your phone right now and download Habit Tracker in your app store. If you want to stop using the excuse of “I’m not motivated,” put some effort into the thing you don’t feel like doing, but know you should.
Seriously, take 5 minutes and at least start whatever it is you keep putting off.
And IF you are ready to join a community whose behavior is what you desire, then sign up for your free intro session today.