12 Habits to Totally Transform Your Life in Just One Year
What if I told you that you could totally change your life in a matter of a year with just one easy life hack? Would you try it? I know I would!
When you’re in a total life rut and feel like your goals are so ambitious that you don’t even know how you could possibly achieve them, then you need to take a step back and figure out a plan! Change does not happen over night, which is why I love this hack that requires you to take immediate and daily action, but isn’t too complex or overwhelming.
The hack is called habit tracking! And it’s seriously a game changer. And today I’m going to show you exactly how to use habit tracking to totally change your life and achieve your goals!
Step 1: Reverse Engineer Your Dream Life
Before you can even think about how to choose or track your habits, you have to first identify your long-term goal or ideal lifestyle (e.g., becoming more confident, starting a business, getting fit, living peacefully.)
Once you have a general sense of what your dream life looks like, then you need to dive a little deeper:
Look at someone who has already achieved it—what habits do they consistently practice?
Journal prompts to get clarity:
“What would the best version of me do daily?”
“What do I want my mornings to feel like?”
“What routines would make my goals inevitable?”
Step 2: Choose 12 Identity-Shifting Habits
Now it’s time to use all that information from step 1 to choose 12 habits based on your values and goals that you feel will really help you move the needle in order to move towards your dream lifestyle.
It’s also really important that they don’t feel like too much of a stretch. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, then jumping into doing cardio for an hour everyday or eating perfectly at every meal is probably not going to be a habit you can stick with.
It’s also okay to build on one habit for a few month (for example, eating healthy for one meal per day for month one. Then two meals per day for month two. Then three meals for month three, etc!)
Some examples by category:
Health: Daily 1 mile walk, stop eating wwhen full for one meal per day
Mindset: Daily gratitude journaling, meditation for 10 minutes per day, saying morning affirmations
Career/Productivity: Practice time blocking for all tasks before noon, digital declutter for 10 minutes per day, network on Linkedin daily
Self-Image: Getting ready every day, outfit planning every night, daily skincare routine
Finances: 15 minutes per day to learn about investing, daily expense tracking
Step 3: Build One Habit Per Month
Once you’ve solidified your habits, it’s time to start tracking them! Honestly, this is a habit in itself, so if you really want to ensure you stay on top of things you can make your first habit filling out your habit tracker!
The science is kind of all over the place as far as how long it takes to form a habit. I’ve seen 21 days, 66 days, 90 days- but since you will continue to track the previous month’s habit along with the next month’s, the idea is that eventually it truly becomes an automatic habit on your own timeline.
Step 4: Choose One Reward Per Month
If you manage to track your habit for at least 75% of the days of the month, then you earn yourself a reward (woohoo)!
Make sure you choose something that you’d be excited about so that it helps motivate you to stay on track.
It can be simple like a $50 shopping spree at TJMaxx, a massage at a spa, a celebratory dinner at a nice restaurant. Whatever you choose make sure it excites you!
Step 5: Monthly Reflection & Habit Review
Once the month is over, it’s time to reflect back on how the habit-of-the-month went for you. Some questions to ask yourself or journal about:
Did I track the habit every day? If not, did I still do the habit?
What went well for me this month in regards to this habit? What was challenging?
Am I ready to add a new habit? Or should I repeat this one next month?
If I did not succeed at making this a habit this month, do I need to make this habit easier or more attainable?
Step 6: Create Your Personalized Yearly Habit Plan
Now you are ready to START TRACKING!
But, if figuring out a tracking system sounds daunting, then I have the perfect solution for you!
I created a totally free 12 month daily habit tracker that you can download and start using instantly. It helps you decide on your goals, daily habits, and rewards for each month.
Get started on your total transformation and start living your dream life!
Start tracking and transforming
A lot can happen in a year! Imagine looking back a year from now with 12 new habits, a totally different lifestyle, and it all started with this one small shift and decision to just start taking inspired action.
Commit to your first habit today and start your transformation! It doesn’t have to be hard, it just has to move you forward towards the person you want to become.