There are a lot of articles out there on how to make habits. Like, a lot. There’s scientific research on habit formation, there’s expansion on habits versus routines, there’s step by step guides on making micro-changes in your life, and so on and so forth. It all seems pretty interesting and useful and slightly intense. Personally, if I’m googling information on how to create healthy habits, having to follow a five step process is a tad overwhelming for me. Do those steps work? Almost certainly! But I like minimal information and maximum action. It’s what has made me pretty successful in life, but also an idiot at times.
I’m also pretty good about holding myself accountable, but I’m also forgetful and am great at making excuses for myself. The problem is, when I skip out on doing things that are good for me (stretching, drinking enough water, eating vegetables, etc), I feel like crap. The stuff that is good for you is generally a little less fun to get done but is almost always worth it.
My trick? Create your own accountability partner. For me, that’s a dumb little habit app that I downloaded at the start of the year. I have the free version, so I can only track five habits, but those habits have been edited throughout the year to fit my needs. They’ve included hydration and protein tracking, book reading, vitamin-taking, and more! The app will beep at me if I haven’t completed some or all of a habit throughout the day and I am so susceptible to that pressure.
I understand that this doesn’t work for everyone. Some may get a reminder from their phone to drink water and think “screw you, phone!” It is very classically Juliana to get that reminder and subtly think “I better drink water so that I can complete that habit so that I don’t fail the test that doesn’t exist and no one else cares about.” Is this a fully normal way to develop habits? Probably not, but I’m working with this weird personality that I’ve got! When I first started using it, I wanted to make sure I had done 100% of my habits every day. I was, perhaps, minorly obsessive. (Me? Obsessive?! No one could have guessed that.) Throughout the year, though, my intensity faded and I didn’t care quite as much if I didn’t complete the entirety of a task. It didn’t matter because I had completed it the many days before and would complete it in the days to come. Everything would average out.
The whole point of habit development is to build habits that you do most of the time. If you don’t get it done one day, you don’t fall off the wagon and stop doing it altogether because, well… you’ve built a habit.
Per Merriam Webster, habit is defined as:
- a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior
- an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary
- a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance
That all checks out to me.
In my habit app I recently discovered that it ultimately gives you a score for how often you’re completing most or all of your habits. Mine is just about 80%. I love this number. If you ask Patrick or others close to me how often I’m successfully completing my random tasks in my habit tracker, people would probably guess closer to 100%.
I know myself and I know that I am driven and stubborn and dedicated and that sounds like someone who operates at 100%. 100% feels unrealistic and unattainable – especially when you’re first starting out building a habit!
80%, though? Bs get degrees, baby. I can rock with 80%. And, unsurprisingly, it’s still effective for setting some habits.
We’re approaching the end of the year and people will be discussing New Year’s resolutions before we know it. Alternatively, it feels like life restarts in the fall sometimes so maybe you’re interested in forming some new, wintertime habits. Maybe you should download an app! Or maybe you like to track things on pen and paper. Whatever you choose, don’t shoot for perfect. Shoot for B- or borderline C+. 80%, baby. 80%.
Love,
JN
Juliana Moves 
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