The 4 Meta-Habits of Highly Successful People

1. Continuously monitor your habits

1.1. To start, simply write down all your existing routines in a journal or an app.

1.2. Then start tracking your goals.

1.3. If you reach or move closer to a goal, ask yourself whether your habits helped you do so — and then consider intensifying the habit.

2. Find synergies among your habits

2.1. To build a new habit, identify one of your current habits and tack the new behavior on top of it.

2.2. Tie a “bad habit” to a good one so that it makes the indulgence worthwhile, like only eating chocolate as a workout reward.

3. Break habits into smaller pieces

3.1. If you haven’t been following through on a good habit, the problem could be that your new habit is too big.

3.2. Try slicing it into something smaller — tiny, even.

3.3. Create a habit of doing just one pushup a day if you procrastinate on working out

3.4. Any time you exceed your goal, which will probably be often, you’ll feel encouraged and want to keep going.

3.5. Taking action reinforces the behavior.

4. Practice self-awareness around your habits

4.1. The sooner you catch yourself repeating a bad habit or failing to follow through on a good one, the easier it will be to address the underlying issue.

4.2. Mindfulness, the practice of observing your thoughts and behaviors in real time without passing judgment, can help you with this.

4.3. Use meditation or other exercises to enter a state of self-awareness.

4.4. Then whenever your habits seem a bit off, simply notice what’s going on in your mind, and get curious.

4.5. Forgive yourselves quickly when it comes to habits. Since habits are just tools, don’t let any one affect your identity and happiness.

4.6. Celebrate your wins, process your failures, and change course as necessary.