Carrie McEachran, executive director, Sarnia, ON, Canada And when it comes to staying on track, allowing myself rewards every once in a while - like letting myself sleep in on a weekend morning - is beneficial to my success.” “I find that setting continual reminders on my phone and scheduling in my new habit to my daily calendar works very well. Lisa Abramson, executive coach and TEDx speaker, San Francisco, CA Seeing the streak of X’s grow longer and longer is extremely satisfying, and it’s a nice visual reminder of the progress I’m making.”

“I have a friend that I text every day when I’m done with my habit, and then I mark a big X on my desk calendar to visually represent my progress. My goal at the moment is to drink more water and less soda - so I keep a couple of great water bottles on my desk, and make sure one of them is always full!” “I’ve learned that to stay committed to a new habit, I have to make sure that I set myself up for success by preparing my surroundings to support the habit I’m trying to develop. S.A., dentist, Amsterdam, the Netherlands You’d be surprised how much more accountable you feel when you’ve put something on paper!” “To get a habit to stick, my go-to trick is to write it down regularly. Loreta Pivoriunaite, performance strategist, Lithuania Group energy fits me best so I can get the support I need, and provide support to others. I also invite a few people to join me on my own goals, so we can follow them together. “To stay committed, I join a group of people who are doing a 14-day or 30-day challenge toward achieving a certain behavior - like intermittent fasting or going sugar-free. Amal Mehic, industrial process engineer, Syracuse, NY At the same time, I never want to break my promise to myself because my self-esteem takes a hit, and that, in turn, shows up in every other thing that I do.”

This mindset keeps me honest, as only I can truly judge if I have a good excuse to stray from the habit on occasion. I like to think of deciding to take on a habit as a promise I make to myself. “My first habit to stay committed to a new Microstep is my mindset. Which of these creative tips will you try the next time you set a goal? We asked our Thrive community how they commit - and stay committed - to forming a new habit. In order to experience lasting behavior change, maintaining your commitment to your Microstep (a science-backed, too-small-to-fail habit) is critical - even when you don’t necessarily feel like staying on course.That means holding yourself accountable every step of the way.

Stay committed