Organizing Your Life!

Organizing your life starts with building healthy habits, creating achievable goals and keeping the chaos out of our living space, mentally and physically!

Our habits shape our lives more than we realize. It is said that about 43% of the things that we do everyday is repeated in the same manner, often while one is thinking about something else, these are encoded in our brain to save effort in thinking. Basically, our brains cling to our habits at the exclusions of what truly needs to be accomplished and common sense. Automating responses without actually making the choices.

Bad habits are the ones which although give us instant reward and gratification, these are often self-sabotaging or downright unhealthy such as smoking, drinking and narcotics. When indulging in these habits immediately dopamine (the pleasure chemical) is released as a reward for your brain, even though these are not good habits. Your brain doesn't recognize the difference between good or bad habits, which is why we need to intentionally overcome a bad habit and replace it with new healthier routines.

A good habit is one that sets you up for success throughout your day. This can include routines such as morning meditation, a workout, journaling, writing out your to-do list, etc. While these activities are not going to give you that instant reward, after time of keeping to routine and implementing these habits you will get the same rewards in the long term, with the outcome being a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Habits are a learning mechanism. We repeat something and get rewarded for it.

All habits can be changed or replaced. But, how do we start on the path to change our habits?

Just like when setting goals, when breaking habits and building new ones it's important to start small. If you try to change everything at once, it can be overwhelming and unachievable.

"The Habit Loop is a neurological loop that governs any habit. The habit loop consists of three elements: a cue, a routine and a reward. Understanding these three elements can help in understanding how to change bad habits or form better ones." - Duhigg, C. (2012)

A cue can be anything which triggers a habit. The routine is the habit's most obvious element; this is the behaviour you want to change! The reward is the reason that your brain wants to keep repeating those previous steps. Isolating your cue, and having a solid plan to rewire the pleasure release in your brain is going to be the only way you change your habits.

I always suggest to my clients to keep a journal, write down those moments when the trigger happened. Where were you? What happened? What were you feeling? Who was around? If you keep track of these happenings you will notice the patterns which will reveal the area in which you need to intercept the loop and form those new pathways to feeling rewarded and fulfilled.

The golden rule to implement these changes to stick seems easy, but it's through persistence that you will be successful. For every same cue, change the routine and make that the new habit and then provide the same reward.

It's not going to be perfect when you start, but I promise the satisfaction and feeling of success once you've overcome your habit or replace it with a nerw one will be more than beneficial in the longterm.