How to Get a Habit Back on Track
If you’re like me, you have probably experienced one (if not more) of these scenarios:
You missed a workout because you slept in.
You didn’t follow your diet because a friend invited you out for tacos.
You started reading a book, but got distracted when a new season of your favorite show came out.
You put down a goal at work because something urgent came up.
One of the questions I hear most often about habits is how to get back on track after missing a day. The important thing to remember is that you don’t ruin the entire habit (or the progress that you’ve already made) with one miss. Perfection shouldn’t be your goal because it isn’t attainable. The goal isn’t to go undefeated, but to win more often than you list.
Knowing that you don’t have to be perfect to form a new habit is encouraging, but it also means that you’ll have to learn how to respond to challenges and adversity if you ever want to lock in a habit. Here are a few tips that will help you make sure you don’t miss twice:
Review what happened - The purpose of this review isn’t to beat yourself up or feel guilty, but to see what you can learn from what happened that will help you improve in the future.
Remind yourself of your “why” - Long-term goals often become disconnected from short-term motivations because we like to prioritize things the things that are easy. Thinking about what the habit will ultimately help you accomplish will increase your motivation to take action in the present.
Celebrate your progress - You didn’t diminish your progress by missing a day of your habit. Progress might have stalled, but it can easily start up again.
Don’t wait to restart - The reason why waiting to restart your habit is such an issue is because you’re telling your brain that you only practice the habit sometimes. There’s a huge difference between dropping the ball accidentally and choosing to leave the ball on the ground after it falls.
Create accountability - Most people think that accountability requires another person, but this isn’t always true. Accountability could involve rewarding yourself for completing an action or experiencing some form of punishment if you don’t follow through.
If you find one of these tips especially insightful or helpful, I’d love to hear from you. Let me know how this article helped you get a habit back on track.
