As musicians, we’re balancing a lot in our life and work. Creating healthy habits and routines is key to making progress in your career. But creating habits and routines is only the beginning. The only way they make a true difference is if you stick with them for the long haul and integrate them seamlessly into your life.

This is the perfect time to create healthy habits and routines. This is the time of year when we were young we started a new schoolyear and we start new habits. We have busy seasons such as when we’re doing big projects or launching a new album. Part of the hustle mentality sometimes drives you to start 12 new habits and that is just not recommended. Beth and Cayla share tips on creating healthy habits and routines and most of them are alluded from the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Tips in Creating Healthy Habits and Routines

1. Know why you are doing the habit or routine.

Thinking about how great you feel when you eat healthy rather than thinking how you feel about dieting.

2. Pick one thing you really want to incorporate or focus on.

3. Habit stacking

Example. If you want to drink water first thing in the morning, you find an existing habit like drinking coffee and then allow yourself to put your big glass near your coffeemaker to remind yourself to drink water each morning before you drink your coffee.

4. Throw out the all or nothing mentality. If you fail, get back on the wagon.

When we get back on the wagon, our chances of making it into a true habit increases exponentially to 95%.

5. If you’re trying to create a habit, make it easier for you. If you’re trying to break a habit, make it harder for you to keep doing.

6. The way to create and stick to good habits and routines is to think of your identity and have your identity define your goals.

Example: Instead of thinking that you need to lose some pounds, think of yourself as a healthy and fit person.

7. As females, create your routines around your cycle.

  • Menstrual cycle
  • Follicular phase – You are most creative.
  • Ovulation phase – You are great at communicating.
  • Luteal phase – You may get more moody but you are more focused, task-oriented and detail-oriented.

For those who are no longer menstruating, you can rely on your personality type.

If you have any challenges surrounding creating healthy habits and routines, that is not the hard part, but sticking to it and to persevere is. When we fail, it’s easy to give up but one thing James Clear also talks about in his book, you can do something small to stay in the routine and don’t beat yourself up when you are not able to. Know who you are and that you have value. Also, give yourself time to develop that habit.

 

Links mentioned in this episode:

Musician’s Profit Path