How to create and stick to a new habit
My personal plan how to create a newsletter every week using behavior science
Hi friend 👋,
Welcome to my soft place to land on the inter-webs. I’m glad you’re here. Take a nice breath and let’s go on a little journey together into the world of habit making… But before you do, tune into some Elvis to get you in the right mood.🎶👇
The backstory
For the past 6+ years, I’ve worked with coaching people to do behaviors related to Marketing in some capacity.
One of the BIGGEST challenges people run into is being…
Can you guess?
Being CONSISTENT.
(Did you get it right? Let me know what you guessed.)
That’s why marketing coaches put out memes like this all the time:
Struggling with consistency has been true for me in the past. I’m a badass at coming up with a strategy and I know how to grow a social media account, for example, buttt, when it comes to my personal projects in the past, I’ve quickly become inconsistent or stopped altogether.
Part of that is because I’m a “9 Quick Start” on the Kolbe Index (an assessment that uncovers natural strengths and innate abilities) which means I’m hella good at coming up with ideas and starting projects but not necessarily a “finisher” by nature. But obviously, there is more to the story of my past behavior than my innate strengths.
Enter the world of behavior science
It wasn’t until I started becoming a Certified Habit Coach Pro and learning what creates and sustains a behavior that ALL the lightbulbs started going off. 💡
As I wide-eyed and absolutely enamored gazed around the habit science universe I could see clearly why I’d been successful in some aspects and très terrible at sustaining my own marketing efforts. It wasn’t that I was an inherently shit person (boo, negative self-talk!), I simply didn’t have the right tools. ⚒️ Phew!!
So over the past three weeks, in my Habit Coach Certification Training, I’ve been getting daily lessons in what makes a good habit and how to make it stick.
And since I’m simultaneously wanting to get into the habit of writing a consistent weekly newsletter, I thought I’d take myself through the process of implementing what I’ve learned so that I can be successful in my valiant pursuit of writing.✍️
Digging into creating a spanking new habit!
Let’s start by naming the behavior I desire to accomplish:
I JOYFULLY write and publish a newsletter on Substack every Friday.
The first thing I gotta do now is to check in with myself about a few things.
✅ Pro tip: It’s very important that you really get some insight into the full picture of the desired behavior before jumping into making a plan.
So let’s start with that!
An interview with myself
Do I have the ability to create a newsletter on Substack?
Yes, I am good at using technology and could write from now until I die and not run out of topics.
Do I perceive myself as capable of performing this weekly task?
Yes, I believe I have the capacity.
But there are some barriers too, aren’t there Karna?
Yes, you know there are since you are literally me so let’s just spit it out!
FINE! Here it goes: I have doubts about my ability to do this long term, I’m scared that I won’t be able to keep up and I don’t want to feel the shame of failing AGAIN.😔
Ok, but you didn’t have the knowledge about creating habits you do now, do you?
No! I feel so much more confident now that I understand behavior science!!!
Before we go on I want to mention another barrier. My perfectionism! And I’m scared that I will stress myself out by committing to a weekly musing… plus, I’ve made the commitment to myself to not work/create from hustle and stress. It’s gotta feel enjoyable from start to finish!
Cool! Thank you for your vulnerability. We will definitely take all of this into consideration when we create your Habit Plan!
The 4 things to put in place to be successful with my new habit
From my fresh studies I’ve learned that to create and sustain a new behavior I have to make sure 4 things are in place:
1. Make sure I have activators that nudge me to do my behavior and make sure I do it in a stable context - ie the same location.
2. Make the behavior easy to do.
3. Set it up so that I am experiencing a rewarding feeling ideally during but also after the behavior.
4. Support me to repeat the $h!t out of this loop!
Forming my Habit Plan
Step 1: Make sure I have activators that nudge me to do my behavior and make sure I do it in a stable context - ie the same location.
M’kay, let’s think here. If I want to publish it on Friday, I should start on Wednesday in case children get sick or things come up I will have some margins. Plus, I’ve set aside Monday and Tuesday to exclusively be client-focused work.Ideally, I set aside a specific amount of time each week and let it be what comes through in that time.
I know I usually have some things I have to deal with in the morning, so I could do it right after lunch from 1-3pm.
✅ Pro tip: By attaching the new behavior to something I’m already doing each day I can better ensure that the new behavior is successful.I will block the time out on my calendar weekly, ongoing, and set a 5-minute reminder before.
I will put a note on my mirror that says “Hello gorgeous, look at you writing each Wednesday after lunch like a f boss while having an obscene amount of fun!!”
I will also play Britney Spear’s “Work Bitch” before each writing session to get in the mood. (Those who know, you know…)
I will sit at my kitchen table while I write.
Step 2: Make the behavior easy to do.
To make this as easy as possible I will leave my phone in another room so I don’t get sidetracked.
I will turn off wifi so I don’t get distracted by email.
I brain dump topics throughout the week in a Google doc that I’m interested in writing about and choose the one with the most juice that day.
Step 3: Set it up so that I am experiencing a rewarding feeling ideally during but also after the behavior.
What would make this very enjoyable DURING would be to have some chocolate after one hour, have a yummy beverage ready, and playing some good music while I write.
What would make it enjoyable AFTER I’m done is to take three deep breaths and relish in the fact that I’m pursuing my dream of writing for the sheer pleasure of it and to think of the one person that really needs to hear what I’m writing about. (Because I’ve found that there’s always at least one person I’m writing for, besides myself and I love that feeling.)
Step 4: Support me to repeat the $h!t out of this loop!
I will commit to completing this habit at least for a month NO MATTER WHAT. Because I know that if I get over the initial hump it will become much easier. I’m aware that a new habit gets more solidified the more I repeat it and it’s trickier because it’s only once a week, but nonetheless, I shall go for it.
I will contact my brother to hold me accountable to do at least 4 weeks of writing newsletters. (Does not hurt that my brother is a seasoned behavior designer and created the course I’m taking - Habit Coach Pro - does not hurt at all. 😜)
I will let it be imperfectly imperfect and be OK with a smaller newsletter if I don’t feel that good or if the kids are home for some reason.
I will take time to remember that by taking action toward my personal dreams that I will strengthen my love and respect for myself and become who I want to be over time.
✅ Pro tip: By tapping into identity-driven motivation I’ll be way more sustainably motivated to work toward my new habit and it will feel more fun and effortless.
New SPECIFIC Habit:
I JOYFULLY write and publish a newsletter on Substack every Friday by writing it on Wednesday at 1pm after lunch by my kitchen table.
If/then plan: IF my kids are home sick THEN I will settle for an imperfect short quote or tip that can go out as planned.
Ok, wonderful folks! There you have it! I have my new habit plan formed and I’m ready to start experimenting.
If you made it all the way here. Holy $h!t, I’m so honored that you took this much time to read my words. It means the world to me and I can’t wait to hear what you thought! Good and bad, I want all the feedback so I can grow and learn from you!!
Now, is there a habit you want to work on? Email me back and let me know! And be sure to read the recap below.
Here’s to me finishing the SECOND newsletter! Woot!
With so much love and good habit vibes,
Karna
Here’s a quick recap of some things to think about to make a new habit stick!
1. Make sure you have activators that nudge you to do your desired behavior (like a phone notification) and make sure you do it in a stable context - ie the same location.
2. Make the behavior easy to do - find ways to remove the inner and outer obstacles you’ve identified.
3. Set it up so that you’re experiencing a rewarding feeling ideally during but also after the behavior.
4. Support yourself to repeat the behavior over and over again! It’s been found that it’s not so much the number of DAYS but the number of TIMES that you repeat the behavior that makes it become a habit.
✅ Pro tip: It’s very important that you really get some insight into the full picture of the desired behavior, why it’s been hard to do in the past, what some barriers might be, and WHY you want to make sure to do this behavior before jumping into making a plan.
✅ Pro tip: By tapping into identity-driven motivation you’ll be way more sustainably motivated to work toward your new habit and it will feel more fun and effortless. Example: Instead of moving your body to see a specific number on the scale, move your body because it makes you feel like the confident strong person you want to be AND you set a good example for your kids.
✅ Pro tip: By attaching the new behavior to something you’re already doing each day you can better ensure that the new behavior is successful.
Bonus resource:
Good books on Habits by the guy behind Habit Weekly (Spoiler alert, it’s my brother Sam 😊.)
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood
How to Change by Katy Milkman
Love this! Very inspiring ❤️🙌