Is Lifestyle the Hot New Drug: Part 4 Starting a Habit

Three Simple Steps to Start a Habit: KIS/MIF/BIIF

Last time we created an outcome, identity, and behaviors. We took that through to a Golden Behavior or a list of Golden Behaviors. If you have done that great! If not, go back and review the last module on Clarity and then come back.Remember, a Golden Behavior should be POWERFUL, in that it will move you in the direction you want to go, and DOABLE, in that you can see yourself doing it.

What you need for this next part of the process is a Behavior You Would Like to Start.

The behavior needs to be important to you or lead to an outcome that is.To test this ask yourself, “why do I want to do this?” Do you have a convincing answer?If so great!If not go this is not a keystone habit, so I suggest you return to your list of #1’s and Fundies and choose something really important to you.

Today we will work with a simple model to install a behavior and have it ultimately run on autopilot.

So, grab the behavior that you want to install in your life, and let’s jump right in.

Three Simple Steps to Start a Habit: KIS/MIF/BIIF

– Keep It Simple

– Make It Fun

– Bake It In, Forever.

KIS: Keep It Simple

• One Thing: choose one behavior that you want to have eventually run on autopilot.
• Floor and Ceiling:
• Time and Place and Prompt: My strong recommendation is to do this first thing in your day before looking at your phone or email. (Note: once you look at your phone or email, you start to focus on other people’s priorities).

• You have already done this with your Golden Behavior!
• The Floor is the least amount that counts.
  • Think of this as what I could do even if I had a 101 fever, and you get the idea.
  • If your behavior is movement, then perhaps a 10-30 second plank counts, or one pushup or 1-minute dancing.
  • Simple and Sloppy is better than Skippy at this point.
• The Ceiling is your ideal, what you would like to do each day.
  • You can always do more, but this is what you are shooting for.
  • If your ideal is 10,000 steps, then that is your ceiling, that is what you are shooting for, but a walk around the block could be your floor.

• A simple way to make this happen every day is to develop a morning flow or miracle morning. This is a set of things you do first thing in the morning, one after another, before any other inputs.
• Note for Parents of Little Ones…
  • Children that can talk in sentences can usually be playfully coached.
  • They can learn that until you have done your ‘one thing’ that they need to either wait or join you.
  • It is helpful to have an activity prepared for them to do if they wait, and a modified floor/ceiling if they join.
  • They learn that adults have needs, and they learn patience. Excellent training for life!
• Then do it daily, every day, even if it is a string of floors that are sloppy and short or a string of ceilings where you do more.
• Do your best and develop the routine and the habit. As you get flowing with your morning routine, it starts to run on autopilot.
• Over time you can begin to make more of your days ideal and less short or sloppy.
• For example, you want to build in a meditation. Your floor is three deep conscious breaths, your ideal/ceiling is a 15-minute meditation, your prompt is brushing your teeth. Your morning flow might be, wake up, use the restroom, brush teeth, and go sit for mediation.

MIF: Make it Fun

• Win before you begin: For many, the feeling of having these micro-wins every day is a reward in itself. It is fun to win, even in little ways, at something you have struggled with in the past. By focusing on something that is personally crucial first thing every day, you are winning, before the world knows you’re up.
• Celebrate: After every time you do your action, have a mini celebration! I win! Do a fist pump or a self-high five or any other celebration ritual.
• Ask Yourself Good Questions:
  • If you already like the activity and it sounds fun, then great, you are done.
  • How can you make this activity fun, challenging, or exciting for you to do?

Here are a few ideas:

• LINK:
• LAUGH: Find a way to make it Fun, Playful, Enjoyable.
  • Fun: find a way to make yourself laugh or smile. Wear a ridiculous outfit, do laughter yoga, do it with someone fun, do something fun.
  • Playful: do something silly or ridiculous, go to a kids playground to get ideas for movement, start juggling, playing drums, the digeridoo, go shoot some baskets, whatever it is that seems playful.
  • Enjoyable: Use Mantra’s: Literally means “Mind Tool.”
    • Progress not perfection: If you miss one day, don’t miss two.
    • Learn through struggle, think ‘Obstacles Make Me Stronger.’
    • Sloppy is better than Skippy
    • I can learn to love this
• LOVE: Do it with someone you love or find a way to love it.
  • Can you build in support (an accountability buddy)?
  • Competition with someone else who wants to do this?
  • Other ideas?

BIIF: Bake It In, Forever: Simple guidelines:

• Record: What you measure you improve.Just by tracking you will get better and better.
• Review/Reinforce/Trouble Shoot:
• Remember: Recommit and Celebrate (celebrate that you remembered, and you got this far!): you are in this forever, “work to make it work” by being creative, fun, and useful.
  • After you succeed, think, ‘That’s like me!’ You are building an identity!
  • Forever: Revisit this periodically and adjust as needed

• Do a Weekly Review (I recommend at the beginning or end of your week – Friday or Sunday for most)
• Review Without Judging Yourself, just Notice. How did I do?
• When Will You Do a Weekly Review (I recommend doing your review at the beginning or end of your week – that is Friday or Sunday for most.)
• Review Without Judging Yourself, just Notice. How did I do?

• If <3 times in a week, this can use a bit of work.Was the floor too hard, or was there no reminder/prompt? (adjust floor or build in a better prompt)
• If 4-5: great, it’s working. You are Getting There, study your success and grow it.
• If>5 Wow! Your plan is Working. It might be time to up the floor or keep up the excellent work.
• Reinforce What Worked and Trouble Shoot what is not: If you are struggling, is your action too big, is your reminder too small? Are you doing it first thing in the morning? Before you look at your phone.
• Your Miracle Morning begins the night before. Do you need to stop staying up late to fit in your early morning wins?

Now Your Turn: Start with a Golden Behavior

KIS: Keep It Simple

• One Thing: Your Golden Behavior! My One Action is:
• Now create a Floor and Ceiling:
  • The Floor: The least I can do that counts (floor):
  • The Ceiling: My ideal (ceiling):
• Time and Place and Prompt:
  • Do it as part of your Miracle Morning
  • If not the first thing in the morning,
    • When?
    • Where?
    • What will be your prompt/trigger/reminder?

MIF: Make it Fun. How can you make this activity fun, challenging, or exciting for you to do?

Link, Laugh, Love

BIIF: Bake It In, Forever: Simple guidelines:

• Record: How are you planning to track it?

• Review:
• Remember: Recommit and Celebrate (you remembered!): you are in this forever, work to make it work by being creative, fun, and useful.
  • Reinforce what worked: After you succeed, think, ‘That’s like me!’ You are building an identity!
  • Trouble Shoot what got in the way? Do you need to stop staying up late to fit in your early morning wins? Your Miracle Morning begins the night before.

Tracking Sheet

Golden Behaviors:

Behavior/Floor/Ceiling	Prompt/MM	MIF	BIIF

For Most People, I Recommend to Start with One Behavior, but the sheet as 3 for when you are ready for more.

Day/Date	Behavior #1Floor/ Ceiling	Behavior #2Floor/ Ceiling	Behavior #3Floor/ Ceiling
M
T
W
Th
F
S
S
Notes

Review without Judgment : Grow What Works/Trouble Shoot What Doesn’t/Celebrate Micro-Wins!

Behavior: How is it going, is my floor happening? Do I need to make it lower?	Is Prompt/MM effective? Am I remembering to do it?	MIF: Is It Fun, am I looking forward to it/celebrating micro-wins?	BIIF: Am I tracking, did I review? Reinforce/Trouble Shoot/Recommit.