I often talk about consistency and about creating habits for success. A habit is essentially a behaviour that we repeat regularly. Over time our conscious choices become our daily habits. Eventually, our habits become subconscious, we might do the same thing each morning when we wake up, eat the same foods, drive the same route to work etc.

We can of course change our habits and our behaviour, initially this requires an intentional act. For example, let’s say you want to get fitter. You buy a pair of running shoes and you go out for a run. The intentional act is done. But one run doesn’t make you fit. So this is where consistency comes in, if you then continue to run three times each week, running becomes a part of your routine, it becomes a habit.

Single acts of intention do absolutely nothing without the act of consistency. One small daily habit like brushing your teeth for two minutes twice each day, ensures you have good oral health, BUT, only because you do it every single day. This small act alone doesn’t achieve much but add constancy and suddenly the impact is huge.

So, here’s the bad news… 

Once you achieve a goal, it’s not enough to say ‘Okay I’ve achieved it, that’s done.’ You must continue to do it in order to maintain your success. Consistency really is the key. You need to build these habits into your life so that they become a part of your DNA. They become non negotiable. They begin to form your identity.

Here are a few habits that I am practicing, I find it far easier to implement and stick to some more than others…

1. Going to bed before 10pm.
   I have a long list of reasons for doing this, but essentially, I live a very active lifestyle. I prioritise sleep to rest, recover and fully recharge. I avoid caffeine in an attempt to improve the quality of my sleep. I get up early everyday and I don’t want to feel tired when my alarm goes off. Sleep is when your body regulates your hormones, appetite and immune system.  I could go on…
   I have to be incredibly disciplined to go to bed before 10pm, sometimes it is a real challenge, but I know how much it will affect my productivity, my mood, my work and my training.
2. Getting up at 5:45am everyday.
   This is a habit that overtime I have grown to love. It has become a non negotiable. This is the single habit that has had the biggest impact on my life. To read more about it, click here 
3. Not Eating Sugary Treats.
   This is the habit the I struggle with the MOST. I love sugar! I can go with a lot of things, alcohol, meat, dairy products, sure thing. But when it comes to sugar, I appear to have very little self control. It’s incredibly frustrating and something that I’m working on. If I figure out an effective solution, I will of course share it and no doubt become a millionaire for helping the world to break free from those sweet sweet shackles.
4. Exercising 5 days a week.
   This varies from running, body weight training, resistance training, stretching and walking. (Yes, walking counts as exercise too) Again, there is a huge list of benefits and reasons that I do this. Regular exercise enhances your cognitive function, reduces stress and anxiety, improves your health, boosts your immune system, etc
   It has become a habit that I don’t even really think about much anymore. It’s just a part of my day.  I try to constantly challenge myself physically by taking on challenges, this year it’s the Berlin marathon. I do this to ensure that I do not become complacent and also to actually practice what I teach. I never want to stand on my soap box and tell others what they should do, so I attempt to lead by example instead.
5. Learning.
   I currently dedicate two hours of each day to learning. This is mostly by reading or listening to podcasts and writing notes. I also watch keynotes, lectures and TedTalks online. Knowledge is powerful. I recognise that I am incredibly lucky to have access to so much information and resources, FOR FREE! I wish I’d had the passion for learning that I have today, when I was at school. I guess the difference is, now I’m learning about the things I am totally fascinated by, I still don’t care about Henry VII’s wives.
   I encourage you to spend more time learning. Whatever you wanna learn more about… coding, business, psychology, the stock market !? You can literally learn anything and everything online these days. Make the most of it.

What are your daily / weekly habits? Good and bad? What things do you repeat consistently? People say change is hard. I disagree. I think initial change is easy, but maintaining that change consistently is the hard part. People want to believe that change is hard as it validates us for not doing so.

I’d love to know your thoughts, you can hit me up on social media @adrienne_ldn.