[𝐓𝐄𝐃𝐱𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐔 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏: HOW TO MAINTAIN THE GOOD PANDEMIC HABITS?]

The pandemic has turned our life upside down, put businesses in endless uncertainties; however, this has helped us in forming some good habits during the quarantine. First and foremost, knowing the “target” is of paramount importance, we need to understand what a “habit” is to form good ones. It is a conditioned reflex that responds to a certain stimulus from the environment. Brushing teeth, for instance, is a habit that you’re doing without thinking about the reason why you’re doing it. That sounds captivating, but how to hang on to the newly formed good habits? Let investigate 04 ways to develop and maintain habits with 𝐓𝐄𝐃𝐱𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐔!

1. Identify and reaffirm your goals

Firstly, you need to list all the advantageous and disadvantageous habits that impact your goals. After objectively assessing which bad habits influence negatively achieving your goals, you should eliminate them from your current list of habits. Afterwards, match desired habits corresponding to your goals.

Secondly, set your list of goals at places that you frequently look at, such as the wallpaper of your phone, mirror, bedroom door, office/ study desk. Nonetheless, your list of goals should consist of 2-3 goals only and follow the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound). Utilizing this criterion will be beneficial for you in identifying and specifying your goals, instead of unclear goals, such as “I will study this course better”.

A recommended format for this criteria is:

[Month/ year of due date], I will [a verb], achieve [a number], no [a subject] less than [a number].

For example:

- In January 2022, I will achieve a 3.6 GPA, no subject will be lower than 7.5.

- In January 2022, I will attend IELTS Academic, achieve 7.5 overall with none of the skills below 6.5.

- In December 2021, I will write better in Vietnamese, publish 20 posts with no posts less than 200 words/ 100 likes.

This way will keep you far from bad habits, especially the “loop” of creating New Year’s resolutions that will be unfinished soon before the second quarter of the year. Keep reading, 𝐓𝐄𝐃𝐱𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐔 has a special gift for you at the end of this post!

2. Incorporate powerful “tiny habits” into your schedule

For better effectiveness, you should incorporate the desired habits into your planner or calendar. Good news for you, the Google Calendar app on your phone/ tablet has a useful tool - Goal, all you need to do is click on the (+) button on the lower-left corner of your screen. Besides, be creative and realistic in building a productive routine with your desired habits. You want to maintain the habit of exercising in the mornings in the “new normal”, but lack time for that. So, instead of exercising for 45 minutes, scale it down to 20 minutes. If mornings don't suit your schedule, move the habit to lunchtime or after you get back from work/ school. Lastly, it is alright to give yourself time to rest, don’t feel obligated to be busy. Sometimes, overstress may be counterproductive.

3. Maximize your environment

Firstly, you need to identify what are the triggers of your habits. For instance, preparing a yoga mattress and gym clothes for your upcoming exercise. Those objects are the triggers that push you to exercise. Afterwards, replace your bad habits with good ones and eliminate triggers of those bad ones. You can beat your social media addiction by deleting those media apps out of your phone, keeping a few important messaging apps. You can utilize that spare time by meditating, reading books, working or studying. Some recommended apps: Balance, Kindle, Elevate, NoxOcean. If you are facing a serious bad habit, please seek help from a professional.

4. Reward yourself

On average, we need 18 - 254 days to acquire a habit. It is assumed that repetition is the key to the development of a habit; however, the real factor comes from emotions. Imagine that you are a child who practices brushing teeth - a new habit. Children hate being scolded, but love affection. So are you, you should encourage and show affection to your inner child. Hence, you should feel encouraged to effectively and productively fall into new habits. Another instance, anytime you have the intention to exercise, there will be an inner voice that discourages you by criticizing your appearance. This way not only tears down your pride and confidence, but also negatively impacts your mental health.

It takes bamboo many years to develop its roots deep in the soil and grow. Don’t rush yourself to try far over your ability, but learn to love your “tiny” powerful efforts.

Last but not least, don’t forget to find an external source of support: family and friends. While forming new habits and changing your lifestyle, there will be people who discourage you. That is when you consider which relationships to keep and release. After this post, stay tuned for an exciting and helpful video from 𝐓𝐄𝐃𝐱𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐔 cooperates with a special guest, discuss maintaining habits amongst youngsters!