Good Habits For College Students

Creating Good Habits For Students can be a big challenge.We all have times in our lives where we intentionally want to change our behavior for the better and create new habits for ourselves. This could be getting in the habit of studying more, partying less, eating healthier, working out, or any host of new behaviors.  There are so many areas in our lives that could be improved and made easier if we created new habits to keep us moving when motivation is lacking, and procrastination has setup shop in our lives.

Creating good habits for students or anyone is often easier said than done.

We seem to acquire bad habits without any effort but getting into a “good” habit can be quite a bit more challenging. Let’s break down how we can create good habits for students into a simple three-step process, a process that makes it easy for us to follow until we’ve have repeated the new behavior often enough for it to become internalized  and made it a true habit (Typically 21 – 30 days) – something we do automatically without having to think about, like brushing our teeth.

Step 1: Decide What You Want To Do

The first step is to decide what you want that new habit to be. We want to replace a bad habit with a new habit, a new activity that moves us in the direction of our goals.   Be as specific and frame your goal as a positive not a negative, something you are adding to your life, not taking away. Don’t tell yourself you want to exercise more. Instead say something like “I will go for a 30 minute walk every single day”.  Don’t tell yourself you will not eat junk food.  Instead say something like “I will replace that morning donut with a healthy smoothie 5 day a week”.  You must be specific with your brain, we don’t eliminate bad habits, we most replace them with good habits, specific habits, and we must remove as much friction from the process as possible.   For instance, the simple act of putting out your workout clothes before going to bed will make it much easier for you to work out in the morning, deciding what your new habit will be, removing friction, and committing to when and how you’re going to do it, is half the battle.

Step 2: Trash Your To-Do-List and Schedule It

Initially you will be motivated, maybe even inspired, but after the first few days life may start getting in the way, you might be tired or sore, you brain might be telling you this is too hard, your old habits might be screaming at you to take a break, you deserve it.  Sticking to your new habit isn’t as much of an issue if you have scheduled that habit into your daily routine. You can’t just put your habit on a to-do list, you must schedule your habits to create a routine.

Maybe it’s raining, and you don’t really want to go out and walk. Or maybe your day just gets away from you. This is when it’s important to have a daily schedule. Set an alert on your phone or add the new habit to your daily planner.

Step 3: Commit To Your Routine Until It Becomes A Habit

Which brings us to the last step. It takes some time before a new behavior becomes a true habit. Studies have showed a habit can take form in as little as a few days or as much as six months or more.    A good bench mark seems to be 21 to 60 days for most habits.  Until then, a strict routine will work best. Even before the new behavior becomes automatic, a routine will help you get it done without having to spend a lot of willpower or relying on waning motivation.

Each day you successfully execute on your new habit, place an X on the calendar.   This is very important, as those X marks on the calendar grow they will create a chain of success, a visual reminder of your progress, your brain will not want to “break that chain”, this simple act is extremely powerful and will help keep you going when you may need that extra push.

Step 4: Make Yourself Accountable 

Many people find that an accountability partner is extremely helpful.  Consider posting your goal on social media and place a daily update on your progress. Your network can be very encouraging and help keep you going.   You might find not wanting to post that update that you didn’t stick to your plan all the motivation you need to actually stick to your plan.

Conclusion

Congratulations you are well on your way to creating good student habits! Decide to create the new habit, practice the routine until it’s second nature, commit to your plan, make yourself accountable, and you’ll be well on your way to forming a new good habit.

Want to learn more about how to create good habits for students and other strategies on how to successfully transition from high  school to college, just click Learn More.