Mistakes you must not make when forming a habit
Author: Adan Khan 3 min 6 sec
Making new goals and setting specific tasks to achieve an outcome is excellent, although you need to make sure you do not get into certain pitfalls which may hinder your progress. You may have gotten inspiration from one of our last blogs about making New Year’s Resolution – you can read right here. We have created a collection of most common mistakes people make when they first set out goals, so you do not make them.
Copying someone else’s habit
There are many productivity guru’s which you get inspired to be and follow their tips. However, you should not follow every single thing they do to the point you’re copying them. This is because the goals that you set are only yours and yours alone. They are specific to you, and the outcome of them would only affect you directly. The people who showcase their goals are also specific to them; you will get no benefit from copying their goals verbatim even if it is the same field you wish to work on. Stick to what you need to work on personally and only make the right goals you believe will make the most significant result.
Not tracking your habit progress
Once you have set your habits and started working on it, you need to track your habits. Being able to tick the boxes or cross the necessary tasks is always a fantastic snowballing technique to achieving your goals. Apart from the adrenaline boost you get whenever you finish the task, it also allows you to overview all work you need to do and plan your day accordingly using your choice calendar.
Not planning and adapting
Like we mentioned in our earlier blogs, thinking big is not bad. What matter is how you break down your big aspirations into small “bite-size” chunks which are much easier to tackle than your original grand vision. Having these small steps gives you a much clearer picture of how you should achieve your goal. If the result is getting an A* in any of your subjects than creating smaller steps, you know which specific topics you need to cover and understand to get closer to your goal. It will not be productive if you continue going to get an A* and not having smaller steps and you will not be able to get as far if you divide your goal into smaller chunks.
Not having an accountability system
You may have done everything right and have made contingency plans in place to make sure you reduce your changes of failing a task or goal. There may be one factor you have not accounted for. You will not be motivated 100% of the time you set your mind to work on your goals. Having an accountability system which would punish you each time you fail to fulfil a task would make you more eager to get it done. You can do this with anyone whom you would not want to let down and set a punishment; you would have no desire to do. Having to pay £20 for not doing a past paper a week would make you want to complete an exam considering you do not wish to lose your £20.
Not Considering External Factors
When you set goals and the middle task that comes with them, you should always account for the environment and surroundings. Are you able to complete the tasks you have set out to do with where you are? Even if you are not, you can easily change your environment from a noisy, sibling-fuelled household to a quieter, productive library. Not considering any external factors would hinder you from not being able to finish your tasks. This will further demotivate you and may even stop you entirely on your track. Instead, you should plan how you should tackle the factors out of your control and minimise any setbacks from them.