Happy New Year! It’s officially time for working on forming new habits (not making resolutions).
New Year, New Habits
The start of a new year is the perfect time to reset, refocus, and make new resolutions.
That said, it’s already mid-January, and I haven’t made a single resolution myself.
I’m more of a progress-type than a resolution-type person.
For example, I know I need to up my game when it comes to my health, but I refuse to make any huge promises to myself.
2025 was a hard year for me, and I let myself go a little more than I should have.
So, this year I’m putting some much-needed focus on creating progress in a few areas of my life, while skipping some of the specifics.
I will be utilizing a few 30-day workout challenges and creating simple game plans to become more consistent with my water and vitamin intake.
If creating new habits instead of setting resolutions is your goal for 2026, this one is for you!
Easily Formed Habits
Habits, whether good or bad, are created by repetition.
Every person has habits, and the easily formed ones are those that come naturally to us, personally.
For example, I have some good habits I’ve formed over the years, such as making my bed, clearing surfaces, and sweeping every single day.
That said, I also have some bad habits, such as staying up way too late and excessive snacking at night.
All of these habits (both the good and the not-so-good) were incredibly easy for me to develop.
I’m naturally a clean and productive person, and I’m a night owl.
I thrive best in a tidy space, and since I don’t eat a ton during the busy hours of the day, the snacking thing hits me when I’m resting in the evening.
Plus, I just really like food, you guys!
So, if you truly take a look at your life and the natural habits you have formed over the years, they will speak volumes about your character and your true nature.
We all have good and bad habits that come naturally to us, but I’m here to say, no, I’m here to scream as loudly as I can, if you don’t like something, change it!
The Art of Forming New Habits
Speaking of change, forming new habits isn’t exactly an easy task.
While I’m a huge fan of working hard and bettering myself, forming new habits can be a challenge for me personally for 2 main reasons.
First, I struggle with staying consistent when life gets busy.
Second, I’m what most people would refer to as an overachiever.
I tend to create to-do lists that are way too long and set goals that quickly become unreachable.
That said, there is a better way.
Forming new habits is a process that I have been working through for the past 2 years.
I started that first year by deciding to add additional scripture reading to my routine, and I totally surprised myself by reading the entire Bible that year, you guys!
You know how I did it? I practiced habit stacking.
How to Form New Habits
While I briefly mentioned habit stacking already, it’s not the only way to form new (and good) habits, you guys!
I’ve tried a few different methods over the past couple of years, and I’m ready to share what truly works for me so that you, too, might be able to form new healthy habits.
As for the habit stacking (my favorite method), I will get there eventually, so keep on reading!
Brainstorm
Before diving right into the habit-forming hacks I’ve discovered for myself, I encourage you to take some time to brainstorm.
Pick 6 areas of your life that you want to focus on the most.
For example, I might pick immediate family, work, personal health, pets, organization, and extended family.
My reasons being: I want to spend more quality time with my family, be more consistent with my work tasks, focus on my health more, be more attentive to my animals’ needs, declutter my home, and connect more with out-of-state family.
These are areas I need to strengthen or form better habits in.
Once you’ve brainstormed your areas and your whys, you can officially move on to the beginning stages of forming new habits!
Create a Plan
Here it is, you guys! My favorite point in every post — the planning point!
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: I’m a planner girl, and creating a plan is how I function best.
Once you are ready to officially change your current habits, it’s time to put a plan in place.
For example, when it came time to create my first new habit (scripture reading), I knew without a doubt that I needed to insert it into my morning routine, or it wouldn’t get done.
So, I made a formal decision that I was not going to leave my bed in the morning until I read scripture.
While this may sound extreme, it was exactly what I needed to do.
And guess what, you guys? This was the first step to my success!
Start Small
Once the plan is in place, it’s time to act.
Remember those 6 areas you picked? Now is the time to decide which one you want to hyper-focus on first.
The primary reason most people fail at their New Year’s resolutions is that they attempt to focus on too many things or put excessive pressure on themselves by taking on larger tasks.
Starting small and simple, increasing the difficulty level or adding on additional habits as you go, is the best way to form numerous new habits over the course of a year.
Start by putting most of your effort into that 1 task you plan to hyper-focus on.
Then, add in some of the other areas lightly.
For example, my first main goal is to focus on taking care of my health.
So, I have been hyper-focusing on using my waver plate each morning, and now that I am pretty consistent with it, I’m making an extra effort to be more consistent with my work tasks.
That said, I’m not putting too much pressure on it and am allowing myself much flexibility when it comes to the work side of things.
So far, so good, you guys!
Disrupt Your Normal
Disrupting your normal routine is a must when creating new habits.
Think of the ways you are naturally a creature of habit.
For example, when I was ready to add scripture to my morning routine, and I decided to do it before leaving my bed, this was a huge disruption to my normal.
Making my bed each morning is one of my greatest habits.
I seriously cannot do anything else productive until my bed has been made.
So, knowing that I wasn’t going to leave my bed till my scripture reading was done meant doing something really hard — disrupting the routine that I had been practicing for close to 20 years.
Needless to say, I broke the cycle, and it felt incredibly uncomfortable at first.
You know what, though? After a few weeks, it began to feel more normal, and I was ready to take this new habit thing up a notch.
So, whether yours is a morning run or an evening cup of tea, pick one of the areas you are succeeding in habit-wise and disrupt it with the new habit you are trying to form.
I know this method might sound crazy, but it totally works, you guys!
So far, I’ve added 2 new habits this way, and now they are both second nature.
I’m currently working on my third (using my waver plate), and I’m ready to see myself flourish in this new area, you guys!
Habit Stack
Finally, it’s time to habit stack.
Once you’ve disrupted your plan and made progress with your new habit, it’s time to connect your new habit with something else you do effortlessly.
For example, once I was in the habit of reading scripture before even leaving my bed, I decided to try inserting it slightly later into my morning routine.
I went back to getting ready for the day and making my bed first thing.
Then the magic happened.
I decided to add my scripture reading to another important morning habit of mine.
Drinking my morning cup of joe.
Instead of drinking coffee while I worked or picked up the house, I chose to stack scripture reading and coffee drinking together.
I simply returned to the quiet space of my bedroom (bed made this time) and continued forming the new habit I so desperately needed.
Not only did this help me feel more productive because my bed was made before I started my day, but scripture reading while enjoying my coffee allowed me to start my day off on the right foot — slow and steady.
Other Habit-Forming Hacks
While the above method is what works for me, I understand that sometimes we need a little extra push to change our habits.
For example, rewards, visual aids, and accountability.
While I don’t personally use any of those while forming new habits, I know they can be helpful for some — especially those with ADHD or children.
So, if you need a few other hacks to add to your list, try one of these!
Use Visual Aids
As a visual learner, I can totally see how this can benefit someone struggling with change.
Using visual aids as a reminder to keep going can be a very useful tool!
For example, if you’re on the struggle bus when it comes to saving money or eating healthy, you could easily create a vision board of where you want to be in a year.
Maybe it’s a trip to Hawaii or a new outfit you’d like to fit into.
If a vision board of photos isn’t what you need, try displaying motivational quotes or bible verses to give yourself some extra motivation!
Track Progress
While displaying a visual aid can be a helpful reminder, sometimes a simple tracking sheet tucked into your planner is even better.
As a planner girl, I gottta say, I love me a good tracking sheet!
That said, tracking your progress on paper can help hold you accountable while giving you that extra push you need to keep up the good work.
Seek Accountability
If a tracking sheet isn’t holding you as accountable as you’d like, asking a person to step in might just do the trick.
Try asking friends or a spouse to hold you accountable in the beginning stages of forming your new habit.
Then, if you fall off the wagon, ask them do it again!
All that said, not everyone has a circle of people they can count on.
So, if you feel you’re alone on this journey, you can try alarms as your accountability partner instead.
While not the most recommended option, I have used alarms from time to time to get in the habit of doing something at a specific time.
However, I also tend to ignore alarms over time — so I definitely never recommend this as a long-term solution!
Reward Yourself
If all else fails, reward yourself!
Sometimes, even adults need positive reinforcement to keep up the good work.
While I don’t lean on this method for myself, if you thrive with positive reinforcement, this one is totally worth a try!
Simply pair completing your new habit with a reward each day.
Just remember, small rewards that slowly taper off are best.
It’s important to eventually reach the point where you are successfully practicing your new habit without a daily reward and only leaning on rewards occasionally.
Be Consistent
Last, but certainly not least, practice consistency!
Attaching your new habit to the same place or time is essential.
While habit stacking alone has proven to be a successful method for me, using it alongside the consistency of time and place is what took it over the top.
For example, I may have habit stacked my scripture reading with coffee drinking, but I also always returned to my quiet bedroom for the task.
If I had mixed it up on the regular by sitting on the couch or at my desk, I may not have kept it up for the entire year.
Find your preferred method and be consistent.
Forming Good, New Habits
Creating new habits is hard, but creating good habits is even harder.
In order to form new good habits, it’s essential that we go against our self-sabotaging nature by trying to form good habits year after year.
Habit forming shouldn’t just be a new year thing; it should be a lifelong thing.
Have a happy habit-forming new year, you guys!
