Do you want to establish a lasting habit of creativity? There are five tips that can help form a habit. It doesn’t mean it’ll be easy all of a sudden, but it will be more likely to stick!
5 Ways to Establish a Habit of Creativity
Habits aren’t easy to create. It can take upwards of two weeks to form a habit, and sometimes it still doesn’t make it long-term. It takes perseverance, especially if it isn’t something you would naturally do. If you’re a night owl, getting up at 6am can be quite a hard habit to form. But there are five things that can help you establish a lasting habit of creativity.
Just remember that this will take time. It won’t be an overnight change, and that’s okay. The best things in this life take time. These five tips can make a big difference, though!
1) Make it a priority
If your new habit isn’t a priority, it isn’t going to happen. It’s as simple as that. If you’re trying to train yourself to get up at 6am when you’d rather stay up until 1am, you have to prioritize which is more important. If the rest of your family has no choice but to get up at 6am too, this can be easier. If there isn’t any external motivation, it can be harder. If you don’t set your priorities beforehand, you won’t stick to your guns.
Make sure to communicate your priorities to those around you! They may inadvertently sabotage your efforts to establish a habit. Your spouse or dog will want to cuddle in the morning, rather than let you get up earlier. Your friends will want to go out for dinner when you’re trying to train yourself to watch and cut down your spending. If they don’t understand your new priorities, they can’t support you!
2) Find what works and what doesn’t work for YOU
Some things are going to be touted as The Big Thing, but they may not work for you. A coffee pot set to start wafting the smell of Life Juice can be the perfect alarm clock for a lot of people. If you hate coffee, though, this won’t work so well for you to establish a habit of a getting up at 6am.
That’s okay! People are different. Just because Susy says this worked miracles doesn’t mean it’s perfect for you. Don’t be afraid to toss a method if it isn’t right for you. There are plenty of options, and there will be one that works for you!
3) Get accountability
It can be hard to stay motivated by yourself. That’s why getting an accountability partner can be crucial. In the case of waking up earlier, maybe it’s your spouse or roommate. If you’re trying to write 1,667 words per day for NaNoWriMo, it could be a writing buddy you’ve met online. Whoever it is, make sure that they’re willing to be dedicated.
This might mean rewarding them or being a mutual accountability partner. The latter can be a great option. If you both know that the other one will be checking in, you’re more likely to work harder to establish a habit. After all, you don’t know if Susy met her goals, so you’ll want to meet your own goals so that you’re not embarrassed if she meets or exceeds hers!
4) Track your progress for self-accountability
Self-accountability can be an important factor for establishing a habit. Using something like an UnPlanner, or even just a sheet of paper or spreadsheet can help you track your progress. It will help you see how long it took you to establish a habit (some will take longer than others). It will also give you a sense of accomplishment, which can go a long ways. The more it feels like you’ve done, the easier it can be to do more.
Even if you have an accountability partner, track your progress. It can be just as motivating for some people. It also makes it easier to follow the next tip! It doesn’t seem like much, but it can make a difference when you’re trying to establish a habit.
5) Reward yourself!
This may become your favorite tip! Set yourself a goal – wake up at 6am for five weekdays in a row or write 1,667 words per day for a week. Write down a specific reward, or reward options for when you meet that goal. Track your progress and when you hit that goal: PARTY TIME!
Make sure that your rewards are things that you wouldn’t normally do. Maybe there’s an ice cream bar that you’ve been wanting to try (Magnum has some yummy ones!). Or maybe you just want a day of non-guilty napping and general lounging about. Whatever it is, it should be something you’re looking forward to a lot. When you take that step to establish a habit and earn your reward, it’s going to feel really good!
These steps require intention, but they’ll help you create a habit of creativity. Even implementing just a couple of these ideas will help, but together, they make a powerful force! It takes willpower to establish a habit, but you can do it.
