Checking in with yourself regularly as you try to form new, good habits will help you catch slip ups along the way. It’s important to try to catch your slips early because the more you slip up or let time go by without following through, the less likely you are to succeed in making the behavior a habit.
Everyone has an off day here and there, or maybe a day that you lost focus of your goals. It’s important though, to pick up focus and momentum on the very next day. Try hard not to let more than one day go by without skipping the habit you want to form. The more days that go by without the behavior, the longer it will take you to achieve the behavior as a habit.
Checking in is a form of accountability that is helpful, even necessary. It will take self-reflection and the ability to be honest with yourself. Weekly self check-ins will help you stay focused. You will need to think about the ways that you are working toward your goal and whether what you are doing is working for you or not. You will also need to think about some of the slip ups you’ve made and determine why you weren’t able to follow through with your goal in that situation and how to change that the next time. Making a plan to change what you are doing if you discover it’s not working for you will cut down the amount of slip-ups you have in the future. Writing this down in an accountability journal will help organize your thoughts and give you a reference for next time you check in with yourself.
Another form of checking could be with a partner. An accountability partner is someone who has agreed to help you stay committed to achieving your goal. A lot of times this is a reciprocal relationship and you will be helping your partner achieve their goals in the same way. When you know that you have someone that you have to be honest with about your slip ups, you actually become less likely to slip up. Checking in with your partner every few days or even once a day will ensure you stay focused on your goal of turning your desired behavior into a habit.
Checking in with yourself or with someone else will keep you accountable and help set you up for success. The ability to be flexible when you notice something you are doing isn’t working to further your goal, is a crucial part of forming your habit. This will enable you to cut down on the amount of slip ups and get you to your goal faster.
