Skills Guide Content
Goal: Creating a new routine or habit and learning strategies to make it stick
It’s easy to want to adopt a new routine or habit, but its even easier to forget to get it started.
There are techniques for helping your brain remember to start a new habit like taking medicine at the right time of day, getting clothes/belongings ready the night before, packing and taking lunch. These techniques range from leaving notes in obvious places, setting alarms, and putting things in the way of your usual routine to help jog your memory.
Activity from Planner
Have you ever wanted to make a change, but you get in the zone and forget you were going to do it differently? Sometimes succeeding in a new routine is about planning in advance. What can you do now to help yourself remember that you want to do it differently when the time comes?
Small reminder actions:
- Move the location of an item
- Put the item by the door
- Write on your hand or a Post-it
- Set an alarm or timer
- Put a note in your calendar
Get up and do one small action to build a new habit now!
Extended Activity
Do you keep forgetting to start your new routine?
Have you ever wanted to make a change, but when the moment arrives, you are in the zone and forget you were going to do it differently? Here’s a scenario: you decide you want to start eating a healthy breakfast, but when you wake up, you go through the motions, do what you’ve always done and grab some mini donuts from the bag in the kitchen before heading out the door. Midway through your morning, it hits you — UGH, you wanted to make a different choice and didn’t remember.
Sometimes succeeding in a new routine is about planning in advance. What can you do now to help yourself remember that you want to do it differently when the moment comes later? In the example above, you could set out breakfast options the night before so you see them on the counter, and it triggers your brain to remember. You could also move the bag of donuts (make sure your little sister doesn’t think you are hiding them from her). When you go to grab one, it won’t be where you expect, and it will jog your memory. In this situation, you may also need to set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier so you have time to eat before running out the door.
Here is a list of ways you can jumpstart your memory with a small action now:
- Move the location of an item so it’s not there when you are in default mode
- Put an item needed for tomorrow by the door so you don’t forget it.
- Write a note on your hand, or a Post-it
- Set an alarm
- Set a timer
- Put a reminder note in your calendar
Can you do anything right now to succeed in a new routine? Get up and go do it!
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