5 Essential Hacks I’m Using to Make New Habits Stick

In this episode, you’re about to learn how to make your new habits stick.

If you’ve struggled to be consistent with behavior change, you’re not alone. It’s easy to talk about habits. It’s a whole different thing to apply the science to your life.

You are not the problem.

The problem, when it comes to habits, is the lack of systems and hacks that help you stay consistent.

There are 5 very specific, simple systems backed by science that you have to have in place if you want to make your new habits stick for good.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already bailed on your New Year’s resolutions or if the only habit you think you’re successful at is failing at habits. I’ve got you.

If your treadmill just became the most expensive laundry hanger you’ve ever purchased, then this episode is for you.

I’ll say it again: 

It’s not you; it’s your lack of systems.

Stop relying on willpower to get you through.

That’s not what you need. The research says you need systems.

Today, I’ll teach you 5 essential ones.

Let’s go, because your behavior toolkit masterclass series continues.

Xo Mel

For a free workbook that dives deeper into the topic of habits and helps you apply what you learn, click here.

This episode works together with the episode “The Ultimate Toolkit for Creating New Habits.” After you finish this one, check out that episode here.

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In this episode, you’ll learn:

• 1:36: Why it’s important to understand how to make habits stick
• 4:50: The 75-day challenge I’ve taken on this year 
• 9:30: The honest conversation you need to have with yourself before any change
• 13:35: What to do if you don’t even know where to start with habits
• 15:55: The five systems that will help you finally stick to your habits
• 24:00: A simple hack from Harvard Business School to help you make better decisions
• 28:25: The simple trick that helped people be twice as successful at quitting smoking
• 32:40: The M&M experiment that proves decision fatigue is a real thing
• 44:00: Why tracking your progress is non-negotiable 
• 49:30: The plan that will save your promises to yourself
• 51:35: The “keys to the kingdom” – establish this habit and others will follow more easily

Resources and go deeper:

• For Closed Captions: Watch on YouTube and turn on “CC.” For instructions to turn on closed captions, click here.
• Learn more about the 75 Hard Challenge
• Dr. Phillippa Lally at UCL, “How are habits formed: Modeling habit formation in the real world”
• Dr. Dan Ariely, What The Hell effect cake example
• The Atlantic: “The 'What the Hell Effect': How We Cheat and Still Look in the Mirror”
• The Mel Robbins Podcast “Goal Setting Toolkit”
• Shawn Achor, The Happiness Advantage; helpful excerpt from the book
• NPR: “What Vietnam Taught Us About Breaking Bad Habits”
• Psychology Today: “Want to Change Your Habits? Change Your Environment”
• Harvard Business Review: “You Make Better Decisions If You “See” Your Senior Self”
• Washington State University: “Decision Fatigue: What It Is and How to Avoid It”
• Roy Baumeister: “Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength”
• Study: “Cost-effectiveness analysis of text messaging to support health advice for smoking cessation”
• Study: “Getting to the top of mind: how reminders increase saving”
• The Washington Post: Google M&M study
• Dr. Benjamin Harkin and team: “Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence.”
• Dr. Liyin Jin and team: “The Unexpected Positive Impact of Fixed Structures on Goal Completion”
• Harvard Business Review: “Get Your Team to Do What It Says It’s Going to Do”
• Dr. Heidi Halvorson, “The Science of Success: The If-Then Solution”
• Behavioral Scientist: “Good Habits, Bad Habits: A Conversation with Wendy Wood”
• James Clear: “Keystone Habits: The Simple Way to Improve All Aspects of Your Life”
• Sign up for my free 5-day Wake Up Challenge here