To achieve lasting discipline and consistency in your training, it's crucial to build positive habits that form the foundation for success. Effective habits are key to maintaining commitment and making steady progress toward your goals.

I'm Dr. Gina, the in-house habits expert for the WeRise app and one of just five leading habits experts globally. I’m here to share essential tips to help you create sustainable, long-term habits for success

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How Do We Create New Habits?

Habits are built by three things: Cues, Routines, and Rewards.

The very first step of a habit, that kicks the habit off, is known as the cue (otherwise known as a ‘trigger’). If there is no cue, there is no habit. Cues are the most important part of creating and breaking habits.

What is a Cue?

The cue is the context or action that kicks off the automatic urge to perform the habit. Think about it like this: If you eat a cookie every time you get home from work, then the brain connects the context of you getting home as the cue for the habit (eating a cookie).

Next Up, the Routine

You see, habits work kind of like a spider's web, where one habit connects to another and the routine of completing one habit often acts as the cue for the next in an ongoing chain. For example, waking up > taking a shower > getting dressed > brushing your teeth > making breakfast. This chain reaction is known as a habit stack, where each subsequent habit becomes the context/cue for the following habit.

Hear me out.

I bet you never go to bed without brushing your teeth, right? That’s because in your routine, brushing your teeth is the cue for going to bed. So to make sure we can build the non-negotiables into strong habits, we need to add them to pre-existing habit stacks (routines). That way, we encounter as little resistance as possible and set ourselves up for the best chance of success.

For habit stacking to work well, the habits you’re stacking have to make sense and combine in a natural flow. For example, if you want to start a habit of stretching your body, it makes sense to attach that to exercise. Whereas trying to attach the new habit of stretching to the pre-existing habit of driving to work simply doesn’t make sense or naturally flow, and your brain realizes this. So make sure when stacking habits they contextually make sense, or it won't work.

Finally, the Reward

The more you value the reward, the quicker and stronger the habit develops, as your brain craves the dopamine that receiving the reward brings and our brains will do just about anything for dopamine. The more you want the reward, the easier instilling the habit will be.

However, before you think about rewarding yourself with sugary snacks or scrolling through social media, be aware that these are cheap, quick dopamine hits that feel good at the time but are not the best things for our long-term goals. This is because the reward itself is so short-lived and emotionally unfulfilling.

The good news is that we can achieve the same rewards we’re seeking with healthier, more fulfilling habits. For example, the reward could be spending time with someone you love, doing something enjoyable like playing a board game, having a cuddle with your dog, or simply enjoying some time outdoors. The point is to make the reward not only enjoyable but fulfilling and positive for your long-term well-being. That way, you’re much more likely to stick to the habit long-term.

Building Your 3 Daily Non-Negotiable Habits

So what does this mean for our non-negotiables?

Daily Movement

Think about the natural flow and habit stacking. Ask yourself what seems like a sensible and natural way to implement your daily movement. Let’s start with the cue: think about what could act as a cue that naturally fits within the context of your routine. For example, your daily movement could be contextually linked with your morning shower because contextually if you’re going to get a sweat on, it makes sense you would want to then wash afterwards. Especially as enjoying the warm water and feeling clean can act as a great reward.

Now you probably shower at the same time most days, so by associating the ‘I will do my daily movement before my shower,’ you’re far more likely to do it. Why? This is because the brain loves familiarity and craves the certainty of your routine. If you’ve been showering at the same time most days for a while, it’s become a stable anchor in your life. Anchors like this are perfect for triggering your new desired habits.

Mindful Eating

The same goes for mindful eating, your 2nd daily non-negotiable.

Eating is often a social behavior, and overeating tends to be a response to this, usually as a result of feeling bored or anxious. So to build your mindful eating habit, you might use the cue of turning off your phone when you sit down to eat. That way, you enjoy the reward of quality time connecting with those you love without the distraction or quick dopamine hit of the TV or scrolling through social media. So you’re far less likely to overeat as you’re getting your social fulfillment and not overloading on cheap dopamine.

Meditation

Deep breathing and mindfulness meditation increases calmness, so stacking it with habits where you are moving a lot would make no sense. Think about habits that involve feeling calm. This could be winding down for bed, such as reading a book after you brush your teeth, or having a warm bath. Both of which will also help you sleep better and feel more rested but the important thing to consider is: what part of your routine can you stack this habit with in a way that makes contextual sense that you can pair with a rewarding activity. It could be anything, and it certainly doesn't have to be at nighttime. It just has to make sense.

By carefully integrating new habits into existing routines and choosing fulfilling rewards, you can create sustainable changes that enhance your discipline and consistency. Applying these strategies to your daily non-negotiables will help you achieve lasting success and maintain progress toward your goals.

If you're looking for guidance and support to help stay accountable, look no further... the WeRise App and it's community of over 9M is a powerful tool to sticking to my daily non-negotiables.

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