Making an effective plan for your studies is easy. But following it consistently is the real challenge. Missing it for one day means you have to follow it from all over again. Following a routine daily for quite a considerable period leads to the breaking of bad habits and the formation of new good habits. This is the time when following it does not require the willpower that you out in to follow it initially. It will become automatic and your days will revolve around that productive routine. We will share ten things you can do to stick to your routine.
The question is, how to follow this routine with the perfect persistence to make it permanent? Here are the habits that lead to effectively forming and breaking habits.
Working with the end goal in mind
An end goal is an ultimate reward that you want to achieve through your routine. So, work with that in your mind. It will give you a strong meaning and you will be more likely to follow the routine that will make you closer to achieving it. Whenever you feel like taking a day off from studying, gym, or anything, recall what you are working for.
Consistency comes with discipline
Motivation is one small aspect of developing good habits or doing anything great. It does not lead to a consistent routine, however. It comes with discipline. These two attributes, consistency and discipline, are interdependent. So, if you want to be consistent, make sure you become a discipline-loving person and follow some rules.
Use psychological motivators
You can use different motivators that work for you. Thinking about the end goal is one of them. However, you will need some immediate motivators to work daily. For example, you love cooking. Tell yourself you will cook yourself delicious pasta if you complete your task on time. This can be replaced with anything that works for you.
Red X technique
Red X technique is also a psychological motivator but in a different way. Let’s say you have to complete one month by following the routine as the initial goal. Mark a red cross on the calendar every day you achieve the set goal. Now, the more days you complete, the longer the chain will become. Every time you put a red cross; you will feel pleasure with a dopamine release. The brain is more likely to repeat the actions that are associated with dopamine release. So, you will more want to repeat that action.
Loss aversion: Another thing that is associated with this practice is loss aversion. As human beings, we are more afraid of losing what we have than we have a desire to get more. So, with more days of that routine, the chain of red crosses will get longer. Now, you will be afraid of losing what you have achieved.
Constant evaluation of the progress
The average time that is required to break a habit and form new ones is 66 days according to some studies. It can also be greater or less than this for different individuals. Even for some people, it can exceed 200 days but that is quite normal. The point to make is, meanwhile you need to constantly evaluate your progress. The more benefits you come up with, the more likely you are to stick to it.
Identifying bad habits that are a hurdle
During your routine evaluation, you have to identify the habits that are not allowing you to stick to this routine. For example, oversleeping might ruin or schedule or obsession with using social media every fifteen minutes. Remove these habits to work more effectively.
Rewarding yourself
Set some goals and reinforce your habits by rewarding yourself with them. For example, buy yourself a new study table by the end of two months routine, a sweater after fifteen days, or anything you like. Rewards work as effective reinforcers for behaviours.
Moving away from distractions
Until you are with distractions, it is very hard to achieve the goals that you are working for. Ultimately, you will be discouraged to follow the desired habits. Thus, it is necessary that you study with all the focus where there are no distractions.
Flexible scheduling
Make sure you make flexible schedules especially in the beginning. Feeling accomplished after successfully following a flexible schedule is better than getting discouraged after not being able to follow a tough schedule.
Hard love
Make it a habit of showing yourself some hard love when you do not want to do the effortful tasks. Nothing can be achieved without going out of your comfort zone. Thus, next time you feel like staying in bed instead of waking and getting to work, remind yourself of this fact. Good luck!
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