1. Know your goals. If you don’t know what you want, how will you know when you get it? This is the first step in the process of achieving anything. To know if you’re on track, write down your goals in detail and make sure they’re specific, measurable, attainable (but not easy), realistic and timely (S.M.A.R.T).
2. Make a plan of action. Once you have your goals in place, look at them one by one and decide how you’re going to get there — what steps do you need to take? Write out an action plan for each goal, then start taking those steps one by one until they become habits that are part of your daily life.
3. Be consistent with your actions. Don’t skip days or weeks on end because there will be times when things get tough and you won’t feel like doing what needs to be done. If something comes up that doesn’t allow you to follow through with your plan for the day, go back to it tomorrow instead of letting it slide indefinitely because “it doesn’t matter much anyway” or “I can always do it later.
4. Be aware of your habits and triggers so you can catch yourself when you’re making an impulsive decision or doing something that doesn’t align with your goals or values. For example, if you know that you tend to go on Facebook every time you get home from work, put it on another browser tab so it takes more effort to check it than if it was just open in front of you.
5. Start small and build up from there: If self-control is something you struggle with, start by making small changes in your life, such as drinking water instead of soda at meals or going for a walk after dinner instead of watching TV on the couch
