How to create Happy habits in life

What you might not know about habits is that, even though they stem from your unconscious, you can manipulate them. This is good news indeed, especially if you want to form a new, healthy habit.

To do so, follow these three steps:

Determine your motivation. You need an overarching goal to help you overcome obstacles. To pinpoint your ultimate goal, you can employ the WOOP – wish, outcome, obstacle and plan – exercise.

Start by writing your wish down, along with the best possible outcome, and the obstacles you are likely to face.

Say that your wish is to run daily. Your outcome might be to get in shape so you can complete a 10km run and your obstacles will probably be harsh weather and physical discomfort.

Next up, you need to plan by finding the right implementation intention and act on “if x, then y” decisions. For example, “If I enter a building, I will take the stairs.”

Positive statements like “I’ll take the stairs” are far more effective than “I’m not taking the elevator,” as self-denial reinforces the attraction of something – in this case, the elevator.

Next, remember to repeat your actions, as repetition leads to automation. If you’re unsatisfied with your habit development, try coping planning:

Anticipate challenging situations for your new habit, such as heavy rain or being late for work, and find the right if-then solution. For example, “If it is raining, I’ll try my waterproof running gear.”
Finally, make your habits happy habits. One way to do this is to avoid becoming habituated to something and just going through the motions. Ironically, “habituation” is the anathema to happy habits.

Having happy habits means switching it up. This could mean taking different routes to work in order to keep enjoying your bike rides, or techniques like savoring, where you pause and intentionally engage your senses to savor the moment, such as stopping to smell a fragrant flower.