When you are forming new habits, you have to periodically take a step back and look at the results so far. This is where you can decide if you will continue with this habit, or if it might be time to call it quits, or just adjust part of it.

When a New Habit Doesn’t Work

Truth bomb: not every habit is going to be something you do forever. Yes, some are all about a lifestyle change completely and will be with you while others will only be around for a short time period. The thing to remember is that they are not all going to be perfect from beginning to end.

I’m a big fan of taking a step back and considering where you are, and whether or not one of your new habits is working for you. This doesn’t mean you chose a bad habit, but that it doesn’t work for you personally, for your schedule, your lifestyle, or where you are right now in your life. Remember that your priorities and goals can change as you go through life, and it’s okay for your habits to change along with them.

Did You Give it Enough Time?

Before you decide to ditch or change one of your new habits, give it enough time. Forming new habits can sometimes take longer than expected, such as getting more physically fit. In a lot of instances, you could expect to see a change at around 30 days. This is long enough where it became something you did every day, and should have gotten to a point where you didn’t even have to think about it.

However, if you have been doing one habit for 2 months, and you still don’t see any benefits from it, or it still feels like pulling teeth every time you get up to do it, then maybe it isn’t the right one for you.

Tracking Your Progress and Making Changes

This is why tracking your new habits is so important. You can actually see how long you have been doing it if you have been consistent, and in what ways it is benefiting you. If you start a new job and put in the work, you expect to be paid for your efforts. The same can be said for when you work really hard on a new habit or goal, and it just doesn’t pay off in the end. You want to choose habits you can keep track of and that will have some type of benefit for you.