Curiosity and Adapting: Keys to Improving Your Follow Through
Photo credit: Haley Peterson Photos
One week into the New Year and you may have already gotten off track—losing motivation and traction to follow through with your intentions for the New Year. The key to get back on track and improve your follow through is to cultivate curiosity and adapt your plan.
GET CURIOUS…
about what is working and what is getting in the way of you doing what you set out to do.
If you follow most habit formation strategies, it starts with creating a plan. In my previous blog post I shared some strategies to help you be more successful. But the first plan that you make may not be the one that will help you create a habit that sticks. If you are having a hard time following through, DON’T GIVE UP!
This is where cultivating self-awareness is really important. Take a moment to think about what might be getting in the way. Don’t wait until the end of the week to do this. The moment that you lack follow through, it’s time to reflect and get curious.
What do you notice? (internal) Check out the thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations that are present in those tough moments. Understanding what is going on in your mind and body can be useful information when you need to adapt the plan
What about the context? (external) Reflect on the external factors playing a role. These are things like time of the day, relationships, work schedule, supplies needed, etc. Are these things supporting your plan or not?
Now adapt…
Once you have (hopefully) gained some insight into what might be supporting you or getting in the way, it’s time to adapt the plan.
The biggest barrier that I see clients struggling with is that they continue to work a plan that is not working.
You must adjust the plan and try something different, to get different results. -Me
Let your behavior change become the great experiment. Test something else. Does that seem to work? If not, adapt. Rinse and repeat. Continue to test and refine until you land on something that starts to stick. Then, use the thing that is working to gain consistency, to the point in which it becomes automatic.
“In order to design successful habits and change your behaviors, you should do three things. Stop judging yourself. Take your aspirations and break them down into tiny behaviors. Embrace mistakes as discoveries and use them to move forward.”- BJ Fogg