Creating Habits that Stick for the New Year

Don't make new years resolutions

Create habits that stick instead. How many years have gone by where you've promised yourself 'this year I'm going to lose 10kg, stop binge watching netflix, and say 'no' more...' and then come February you're already off the bandwagon watching the next series of Greys Anatomy with a packet of chips, after a day of overcommitting yourself yet again. Often we have these huge lofty ideas of what we want and what will 'fix' us, without the aligned and focussed direction to actually get it done.

So naturally, I'm here to help. Because a world of rested, well, and aligned humans is a world I wanna be in.

How to set intentions for the new year

First up, two things I wanna preffice - often setting goals for a whole year can be quite overwhelming and easy to give up on when the steps to get there are often numerous and perhaps don't even align with your values in the first place. Start big (but achievable) and then narrow it down.

Grab your fave mug of hot beverage (because whether you're in the northern or southern hemisphere right now, it's been cold...apparently no summer for us in the south!). Grab a notebook and pen, and get some tunes rolling. My fave creative juice flow is this playlist.

1. Reflect on 2023: what are you grateful for & what were your highlights, what did you achieve & how did you make yourself proud, where did you go off track? 

Make sure to honour and reflect on the year you've just had, before you move forwards!

2. How do you want to feel in 2024? 

Try to choose 1-3 words/feelings. How you FEEL is important - because how you feel will impact the way that you think and act.

3. What are your 3-5 life values? 

If you're living in a way that doesn't align with your values, you're never going to get anywhere that you really want in the first place. You'll kick all these 'goals' and then get to the 'top' and realise this isn't what you wanted at all...(I can guarantee a few of you are smiling knowingly right now 😉 )

4. What actions/activities actually make you feel like you want to feel (in #2) AND align with your values (in #3)?

Write these down and keep them handy for what to do when you feel 'stuck'! From this list, what can you integrate into your day/week/month to make sure that you are getting a dose of this feeling and aligning with your values as much as possible?

5. What actions/activities lead you further from this feeling (in #2)/your values (in #3)?

6. What habits do you ALREADY have (that you aren't going to get rid of anytime soon) that you can stack your new habit/s or activities onto?

Habit stacking is the new black.

Habit stacking your way into the new year

Habit stacking = tacking a new habit/action onto a pre-existing one for ultimate longevity 😉

How many times have you set yourself a new habit and then each day goes by and you struggle to actually remember to do it, without needing an alarm or phone reminder to keep you accountable? Yep, I see you nodding 😎 

I love to use the example of habit stacking a moment of slow breathing into your day - with your toilet break. (Unless you're a stay at home parent of very young little humans...), generally you take your toilet break alone...so this is the perfect opportunity to sit and (perhaps) close your eyes, and take 5 slow smooth breaths (while you do your thing). Then at the sink as you wash your hands do the same thing - 5 slow breaths. And voila - thats 10 slow breaths in, potentially 4+ times per day (with your own in-build reminder system 😉 ). Sounds too simple to be effective right? Trust me.

Alternatively, it could be something larger - dedicating to a 20min practice right after you wake up. I tend to always practice in the mornings because it’s easier to practice before my mind has begun thinking about the day and before I start ‘doing’ things. You'll never find me doing yoga in the afternoons because it's a lot harder for me to get into the right headspace for it and I'll often get sidetracked with other things to then realise by 8pm I've forgotten all about my practice and now it's bed time 😆 . So without fail, as soon as I go to the toilet/brush teeth/get dressed, I’m straight into practice (whatever and however long it is that morning, maybe even just 10mins!). This works really well because without fail, every single day, I wake up. Habit stacking actions onto pre-existing guaranteed actions is an easy way to keep accountable.

More ways that you can habit stack this year

Pre-recorded practices for you to stack

The Slow Living Studio is FULL of bite-sized practices for you to add into your day, wherever it fits. Habit stacking a 10min stretch with your mid-arvo cup of tea or 'practice stacking' 2-3 different practices (maybe a breath then yoga then cacao meditation) together can be the perfect recipe for rest and rejuvenation. Practice stacking is my fave way to practice when I'm wanting something specific, but don't want to leave my trust in a whole 60min class to hit all the things I'm after.

Breathing when you hate breathing

If you love this idea of stacking breath into your day, but you have no idea where to start or feel completely overwhelmed with the idea of 'breathing well' or 'easefully' or 'slowly'...let me show you. The Beginners Breathwork Course will help you to re-discover you most easeful and useful breath, for life! Mini workshops and practices to help you along in re-awakening and re-patterning your functional breath, building a supportive foundation for you to build from.

Needing direction and inspiration for more than just habit stacking 😅 

If a whole-life reset is on the cards, Active Rest Retreats (my baby with Elise Lavers / Enliven Outdoor Adventures) takes women to epic locations every year for all things wellness, community, culture, nature and adventure. Come with us to Adnyamathanha Country / Flinders Ranges or Ngarrindjeri Country / Fleurieu Peninsula this year.

Find a guided meditative process of all of this in the Slow Living Studio, early February 2024.