New Years resolutions and habit formation

To form a habit there are four simple rules you can employ:
2.Make it attractive
3.Make it easy
4.Make it satisfying
Make it obvious
Make it attractive
Make it easy
Make it satisfying
As humans, every behaviour we perform is underpinned by a four-step process:
2.Craving
3.Response
4.Reward
Essentially, the cue prompts a craving, which provokes a response, which delivers a reward. This satisfies the craving and becomes associated with the cue, which our brains then redeploy when faced with the same stimulus. Our bodies do this because we have finite conscious cognitive resource, and having to consciously decide on our responses each time would limit our ability to perform other tasks.
Practical strategies for creating new habits:
Goal setting
Make a plan and write down the goal or goals you want to achieve. Make your goals specific and measurable and use the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-based) to help you set them. Always address what your barriers are going to be and what is the solution when they arise? This means you are already one step ahead.
Social support
As we enter the new year, millions of people around the world are also looking to create new habits. If you can, reach out to family, friends or colleagues and work together to accomplish your new habits. Are there local clubs or communities which can also help support your change? Utilise the power of social support.
Habit stacking
We all have habits that we carry out every day, from brushing our teeth to making a coffee in the morning. Habit stacking is a practical strategy where we stack the new habit after or before a current habit. Our current habits are already in place and wired in our brain, so utilise these to better support your new habit.
Self-compassion
We always set ourselves really high standards and think we are going to make a fresh start and achieve all our new habits. It is inevitable when implementing new habits there will be times where we slip back into old habits, but it is so important that we are kind to ourselves and be compassionate towards oneself. If we do slip back into an old habit the fresh start is not ruined, mistakes or failures don’t ruin our goals.