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Is there another habit change you’ve been thinking about and meaning to tackle? Perhaps limiting alcohol, reconnecting with friends, increasing your cardio ability or reducing screen time? Use these next 21 days to DO IT!
You can use the provided framework below to create your 21 tasks as well as the provided tracker (available week of January 11) to help you make meaningful observations about your experience. You may also use your own tracker or app to chart your progress.
KKR Wellness Works' virtual wellbeing coach, Coach Brandee, MS, RDN, CDN, is available throughout your challenge to support you in creating and committing to your goals. Book a virtual session with her here.
Is there another habit change you’ve been thinking about and meaning to tackle? Perhaps limiting alcohol, reconnecting with friends, increasing your cardio ability or reducing screen time? Use these next 21 days to DO IT!
You can use the provided framework below to create your 21 tasks as well as the provided tracker (available week of January 11) to help you make meaningful observations about your experience. You may also use your own tracker or app to chart your progress.
KKR Wellness Works' virtual wellbeing coach, Coach Brandee, MS, RDN, CDN, is available throughout your challenge to support you in creating and committing to your goals. Book a virtual session with her here.
Tracking Makes a difference
Although not required for entry into the prize raffle, we encourage you to track either using the provided downloadable XLS worksheet tracker or your own means (an app, iPhone, journal, etc.).
Tracking means more than just ticking off that you’ve done something – it also means writing down a few words about the experience. What effect did an activity have on you? Was it easier/harder than the time before? Did you notice something new?
Noting your progress helps keep the process interesting and you interested in your own progress while revealing telling insights to you that may otherwise be fleeting.
Tracking means more than just ticking off that you’ve done something – it also means writing down a few words about the experience. What effect did an activity have on you? Was it easier/harder than the time before? Did you notice something new?
Noting your progress helps keep the process interesting and you interested in your own progress while revealing telling insights to you that may otherwise be fleeting.
How it works
Step 1: Select Your Habit
Studies and brain research say that tiny improvements are the way to go and not just because it’s more realistic – our brains are wired for it. But the important part is to make it specific. Notice that each of the below habits has an action and timeframe. Choose one of the below, or use the same framework to create your own.
- Cook 21 plant-based dinners
- Meditate or journal 21 times over 21 days
- Workout hard for 30 minutes 21 times
- Move your bedtime up 30 minutes for 21 nights
- Do 21 kind deeds for people you care about
- Make 21 different efforts to stay in touch with those who are important to you on 21 different days
- Read instead of watch TV for 21 different evenings
- Spend 30 minutes on 21 different days working on a creative passion or side project
- Do __________________ each day for 21 days
Step 2: Design Your Challenge
We recommend one of three approaches to your 21-Day Challenge:
- Choose an action that you can realistically repeat once a day for 21 days straight.
- Start small and increase the parameters of your goal by tiny increments throughout the 21 days.
- Break the Challenge up into three distinct weeks, with each week building on the last in a meaningful way.
Key Components of Any Habit-Development Challenge
Whichever framework you choose, begin by considering the below:
- Benchmark & Assess. Begin by giving yourself a base on which to compare your progress. The gains along the way will motivate you.
- Track. Don't underestimate the motivation of progress or "aha!" moments that come along with detecting "cause and effect" behavior patterns.
- Accountability. If tracking is not enough to hold you accountable, enlist a buddy to keep you engaged.
- Example 1: 21 Days Straight
- Day 1 through 21: Repeat your specific habit each day. Make it challenging enough to feel a pinch of accomplishment after each time you complete.
- Example 2: Slow Build
- Day 1: Perform action
- Day 2: Increase by 1, 2, 5, 10, etc.
- Day 3: Increase by same increment, etc.
- Continue for 21 days.
- Example 3:
- Week 1: Set Yourself Up for Success
- Consider this a prep week. Observe your current habits and use this week to create a goal; organize, swap in healthy food choices, create space; plan your next two weeks. DO whatever you need to do to prep yourself for a successful Challenge.
- Week 2: Start Your Practice
- Whatever you've chosen, it's go time! Follow the plan you created for yourself in Week 1.
- Week 3: Kick it Up a Notch (or Don't!)
- Implement a meaningful challenge this week, whether a slightly increase in reps, a commitment to repeat your action 5 times instead of 3, etc. If you're good where you are, stay there, and keep going!
- Week 1: Set Yourself Up for Success
Step 3: Submit your five Completed Weekly Activities FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN PREMIUM PRIZES
Each eligible completed activity will earn you one entry into the prize raffle. Each week, you will be eligible to earn five entries into the raffle by completing the weekly survey. You will be asked to input each of the five activities you complete.
Be Thoughtful About your Goal
Setting a goal is the easy part. Setting a goal that you'll stick to is the challenge. Follow these tips to set yourself up for success.
- Get specific. We recommend assigning a timeframe, distance or other relevant parameter to your goal. Doing so will help keep it simple, attainable and trackable. For example, if your goal is to meditate, reframe it as “Meditate for 5 minutes 20 times.” If your goal is to “cook 20 healthy dinners,” consider “cook 20 dinners that contain one non-starchy vegetable.” Or if you went with, “drink more water” or “walk more,” how much per day? Give it a shot and note the difference.
- Make it meaningful. Once the initial excitement wears off, make sure your goal is meaningful enough to you to keep you in the game. For example, starting a push-up challenge to improve your physique might not be enough if you're already pretty content with the way you look. But increasing your strength so you can feel fit and strong when playing with your kids might be more meaningful.
- Challenge yourself. Specific and attainable does not mean easy. Your habit should be challenging you in some way – physically, emotionally, intellectually. If you find that it’s not, then you likely won’t reap the payoffs nor remain interested. That said, there’s still time to tweak. For example, if you chose to do 21 squats or sit-ups a day for 21 days and are finding the practice hasn’t been meaningful, you might consider increasing your reps in increments (add 2-5 reps a day). Don’t sell yourself short.
Keep yourself Interested
Beyond tracking and finding an accountability buddy, what else can you do to keep your head in the game?
- Create an intentional reward. Many habits that seem to stick easily may signal our bodies’ built-in rewards system: the release of dopamine and other mood-enhancing chemicals. Our brains detect a positive association between the habit and reward, which makes continued practice easier. Create the same effect on our own by coupling your habit with something healthful that naturally releases dopamine (e.g. hugging your pet, listening to music, snacking on a piece of sweet fruit) to help spark that feel-good association.
- Resist the urge to do too much too soon. Play the long game and stick to a sustainable pace. If you’d like to up your goal, increase your commitment in small increments only. In fact, research suggests that the secret of athletes who are able to get to the top and stay at the top, are those who stop short of one rep, sprint, drill, pitch, etc. In other words, they leave a little in the tank to fuel their continued motivation. The logic applies in reverse too – think about when you overdo/overeat something and feel you need a break. Stopping just short of maximum effort will also likely prevent negative outcomes like injury, excessive soreness and more.
- Plan for failure to prevent failure. Take some time to consider what will prevent your habit from happening. What are some things that are likely to get in your way? How can you work around them?
Signs You may need to Make an Adjustment
Consider that in order to form a habit, you need to maintain a simple chain-reaction of motivational events: Excitement > Accomplishment > Payoff. If you’re not progressing or continue to put your practice on hold, it’s likely linked to one of these three stages:
- Excitement: Loss of motivation occurs if your habit is not connected to a larger personal value. A value is something you personally need in order to live a happy, fulfilling life – i.e. joy, adventure, family, competition, creativity, learning, etc. Take a closer look at your goal. If you opted to do 100 sit-ups for 20 days, is it because you want to build core strength? If so, why? For aesthetics? To prevent back pain so that you can play with your children? Make sure your end goal is sufficiently linked to your personal requirements for living fully.
- Accomplishment: If you’re not doing your Just 1 Thing, it may be because it’s too time consuming. If you can’t find the time to practice, you may need to rethink your time parameter. If you committed to walking for an hour a day and it’s not happening, try walking for 10 minutes. The point is not to see results each time, it’s to note the holistic changes and patterns in your well-being over time, which won’t happen unless you’re doing it consistently. The best Just 1 Thing is the one you’ll do.
- Payoff: If you aren’t noting incremental improvements, your goal may be too aggressive, and if you’re not completing your practice each time, your results will be more difficult to track. If the idea of going to the gym 20 times during Just 1 Thing is overwhelming and not panning out, pull it back to something that will both minimize anxiety and enable you to complete it.
What is tracking?
Tracking means more than just ticking off that you’ve done something – it also means writing down a few words about the experience. What effect did an activity have on you? Was it easier/harder than the time before? Did you notice something new?
Noting your progress helps keep the process interesting and you interested in your own progress while revealing telling insights to you that may otherwise be fleeting.
Need a tracker? Download the provided one below.
Tracking means more than just ticking off that you’ve done something – it also means writing down a few words about the experience. What effect did an activity have on you? Was it easier/harder than the time before? Did you notice something new?
Noting your progress helps keep the process interesting and you interested in your own progress while revealing telling insights to you that may otherwise be fleeting.
Need a tracker? Download the provided one below.
Tools & resources
Articles
- How 1% Improvements Led to Olympic Gold
- Marginal Gains
- The Secret to Achieving a Big Goal Is...
- How to Experience Emotions in a Healthy Way (and stay on track)
- The Five Elements of the 5 Second Rule
- The 5 Second Rule Hack (video within)
- Five Simple Words to Help You Live Well
- What I Learned at Work This Year, Bill Gates
- The Science Behind Making Habits Stick
- How to Build New Habits -- This Is Your Strategy Guide
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KKR's Coach Is here To support YOU Through Just 1 Thing and Beyond!Program available to US employees only at this time.
Brandee Ellis is a registered dietitian-nutritionist with a master’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, New York. Brandee specializes in nutrition, exercise and yoga, and enjoys helping people find their own road to happiness, good health and living well.
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