maintenance phase

When we are ready to build new habits, it’s very important to set ourselves up for success. Making things easier to accomplish usually means we are more likely to do the thing. Think of some healthy habits that you already have. A simple example is brushing our teeth. That’s a healthy habit that most of us do without even thinking about it - we just do it. We don’t exert energy deciding whether or not we will brush our teeth. This is a great example of a healthy habit in it’s maintenance phase.

How do we reach the maintenance phase for all of the other healthy habits we would like to work on? When we figure out what habits and behaviors we would like to enact, we need to determine what path we will take to get there. If your goal is to be physically fit so that you can play sports or do outdoor activities, then you are most likely wanting to figure out what kind of exercise you can do to get you there. Find something you enjoy or are able to do, and then remove all impediments to progress. For example, in our fitness scenario, this could mean making sure you have any gear or equipment you need. Remove impediments, then “clear the path” to progress to make it easier. This could mean laying out your clothes the night before or partnering with a friend to hold you accountable.

Once we start, we may want to make adjustments here and there to allow ourselves to continue. Repetitive behaviors become established habits when we get out of our heads and act. Instead of expending energy on whether or not we should exercise, we can apply the energy to the exercise itself. When we get into the maintenance phase of our exercise habit (for example), we act automatically and allocate our energy directly to the exercise instead of the conversation in our heads.

This applies to any new habit we are working on. Let’s say you are working on eating more vegetables. What are some challenges you can remove? Then, what might make it easier for you to do this? Maybe you’d like to eliminate something from your diet. What’s something you can do to help you not eat/drink something?

Whether you are adding new habits or behaviors to your life or eliminating/reducing them, the goal is getting to a point where you maintain those things using minimal mental energy.