Habit hacks, hacks for your life, fitness, finance…you name it – there’s a hack for that.

We just love hacks! Hacks grab our attention because our hope is that they will make our lives easier or better.

We think these shortcuts will save us time, energy or money, but do they?

I’ll admit, there are some hacks out there that deliver. I personally like the “product hacks” that show you a better way to use a product or combination of products. 

When a “good” habit hack pops up on your radar, ask yourself, “Am I looking for a shortcut or a better way?” 

We all have goals we want to achieve, whether they are personal, financial, relational, business or something related to our everyday. But when you are looking for a shortcut in order to avoid the work, you’re actually setting yourself up for more work later.

We have access to the all the information to help us hack our way to what we want, but what we fail to admit is that consistency is the only thing that will get our goals from believed to achieved!

It’s the ability to create the routines and systems that will get us to achievement. When you can find hacks that help you do this, stack them into habits to move you toward achieving your goals!

 

To that end here are some good goal habit hacks you can stack to create the perfect routine and system that works for you. (but you have to put in the work!!)

Dream Big, Plan Small

Just like we don’t “get fat” from one bite of cake, our end result can’t come in just one bite.

• Determine what you want – the BIG dream.
• When do you want to achieve this by? That’s your deadline.
• Now break the big dream down into smaller bites. What will you need to do daily, weekly, monthly? 

Hate to lose more than you want to win

Once you determine your bite size goals…

• mark an X on a calendar every time you complete a “bite”. Focus on not breaking that chain!
• Who will hold you accountable? Give them a WRITTEN timeline: “I plan to ______ by _____. I will _________ X times (per day/week and will [call/text] you my progress every ________ (day/week). 
• What’s your comeback plan? C’mon, you know you’ll miss “the mark” at some point and you’ll have to have a plan in place to avoid your “forget it, I give up” moments!Have a word, verse, song, picture, quote…something that will “snap you back” and be sure that your accountability partner knows what it is so that they can use it as “smelling salts” if you get knocked down.

Habit Stack it

Create an “if ____ then _____” plan…

• If it’s Tuesday or Thursday then I will have written 1,500 words before 2pm.
• If it’s Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday then I will be at the gym before 10 am.
• If it’s Sunday then I will have my week planned before 7 pm.
• If I’m doing laundry, taking a shower or cooking then I’m listening to a podcast.

Get the idea?

Make fewer decisions

We all get caught up in SOS from time to time and boy does it cost us time!! Learn to create a system that decisions are made for you.

• I only wear my brand colors when recording videos. (I now know what I’m wearing and what to look for when shopping)
• I only cook four times a week. Two nights are leftover (or on your own) and one night is go out or take out.
• I have one errand day per week, if it’s not ready to be mailed, deposited or picked up, it will happen next week.

Most of us don’t have a “what do I do” problem as much as we have a Prioritized Focus problem. It’s creating tools, systems and routines that we consistently apply that gets us to become successful goal achievers. Stop trying to hack your way to a shortcut to your dream and put in the work to purposefully live it!

Working on my commitment to progress more than finding the “perfect” hack right there with you,

Deana