How to build good habits – and FINALLY make them stick

Aug 14, 2015

The gym; chores; healthy eating; being a better person: we all have a loooonng list of things that we always mean to get around to doing.

Sometimes we even dabble for a while – though as plenty of folk will attest, starting up good habits is only half the battle… sticking to them is the real challenge.

Still, there are some great tips and tricks to make an occasional, fleeting fancy into a habit that's second nature…

Commit to 30 days: that's how long you need to establish proper sense of discipline and dedication.
Make it daily: even skipping the odd day here and there will wreck havoc on your aspirations.
Remind yourself why: there are reasons why you want to establish your new habit – remind yourself of those regularly.
Get a buddy: have someone you can message and ask, "did you do this/that today? Because I did!"
Write it down: set reminders on your phone or write down a 'must do later' message in a diary or on a calendar.

And while the gym can take A LOT of effort and bags of motivation, never mind that eating healthily is a REAL toughie for a whole host of reasons, some important things are rather more straightforward to implement.

Take your daily dose of folic acid for example: it's a cost-efficient supplement that should be a VITAL part of your routine – up there with drinking 2litres of water a day and remembering to ring your mam.

Why? Because if you're having sex, you could get pregnant – and if you do, it's essential that you've been taking folic acid for three months prior to conception, as well as the first three months of pregnancy itself.

Here are a few suggestions for getting your folic acid poa off the ground:

Start by weighing up the costs and benefits: folic acid costs just a few cent a day but has MASSIVE benefits – namely a greatly reduced chance of having a child with spina bifida or another neural tube defect.
Commit to establishing a new routine: it's only one tiny tablet each day. Decide that you are going to do it and remind yourself that for not very much effort, your baby (even if it’s far into the future) can only benefit.

Have a specific time to take it: morning with breakfast is often good. You can also set an alarm on your phone.
Be prepared: keep your folic acid handy and just pop it in your handbag.
Get chatting: don’t be afraid to talk to your friends about taking it. Taking folic acid doesn’t mean that you are planning a baby. It just means that if you do have a baby sometime in the future, you are already helping to protect their health.

Remind yourself how important it is: after a successfully taking folic acid for a fortnight or for a month it might be nice to reward yourself. This could mean buying a magazine, or even a new pair of earrings.

The bottom line is: if you are sexually active and there is a chance (no matter how small) that you could become pregnant then you NEED to take folic acid every day. Simple!

You can also find out more here.