The foundation of establishing a good routine is forming good habits. Building new habits and breaking old ones can be a challenge without the right tips and tricks. Luckily, we’ve done all the work for you and we’ve put together our best habit building tips to help you get going with your new routine.

1. Get clear on your goals

Before kicking off a new routine and establishing new habits, you need to know what you really want. Take a few minutes to think about what habits you want to implement and which ones you want to leave behind. A good exercise to try is to write down all of the things you wish you could get done in a day and rank them in order of importance for you.

Once you get really clear on which habits you want to implement, it’s easier to work towards them rather than trying to do everything at once.

2. Plan & Prepare

Have you ever heard the saying “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”? By not coming up with a plan of action and preparing in advance, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Instead, try coming up with a plan and prepare everything you need in advance so you have no option but to succeed!

Once you get clear on which habits you want to implement, come up with an action plan. Try writing down every little step you will have to take in order to implement this new habit and how you’re going to complete each step. Next, prepare in advance so that when it comes time for it, you can easily implement this new habit on a regular basis. Some good ways to plan for new habits is to meal prep at the beginning of the week if you’re trying to eat healthier or set out your workout clothes the night before so they’re ready to go when you wake up.

3. Get an accountability partner

Have you ever had a commitment that you really didn’t want to follow through on but you knew you couldn’t back out because someone was relying on you? This is the same idea! Find yourself a buddy to hold you accountable for your new habits and to make sure you follow through. You and your partner don’t even have to be working towards the same goal or habit. The idea is to have someone who will make sure you’re following through with the goals you’ve set for yourself and to encourage you along the way!

4. Be Compassionate with yourself

One of the biggest reasons that we don’t follow through with new habits we’re trying to form is that we mess up one time, get upset and hard on ourselves and then lose all hope and never get back to it again.

Instead of getting down and being hard on yourself anytime you fumble, try being compassionate. Focus on the positive - you have good intentions and you’re trying. Falling off the wagon and messing up is part all a part of the journey. When it happens, acknowledge that it has happened, learn how you can avoid this fumble in the future and move on.