This method is so powerful; it’s the equivalent of using a machine gun in a fight where everyone else is using knives. Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit, but it is truly effective. If this doesn’t help you keep habits, then I don’t know what will.

The sure way to make any habit stick with ease is the following: make a contract with the universe, God, or whatever higher power you believe in. Literally.

We all know how hard it is to keep a new habit or getting rid of a bad one. I’ve struggled with keeping habits in the past a lot, so I became fascinated by the subject. I’ve read and experimented to figure out how habits work and why they don’t stick.

I think the biggest problem is that people don’t take their habits seriously enough. They say that they have a goal, but in reality, it’s not even a goal - it’s more of a wish or dream.

Let me ask you this: If someone would put a gun to your head and tell you to go to the gym or not smoke that cigarette - could you do it? Of course!

By the way, using the gun-to-your analogy, we can really explore the boundaries of what we can and can’t do. We’d discover how much we would be able to push ourselves if we wanted to.

Taking your new habit seriously is crucial. Otherwise, you’ve failed before you even start. There has to be some emotional leverage behind it to make the hardest habits stick.

Making a contract with the God/universe/the All etc. creates that. It makes you accountable.

So how to make this “contract”?

You take a piece of paper and write what are you going to. You also need to be specific about the dates. Doing something every day for 90 days is a good timeframe to create a new habit.

Then you sign the contract with your name and signature. If you breach the contract, you have breached a deal with the higher power, and consequences will follow. So, if you don’t want to become paranoid, you better do it.

But you have to be serious about it. In fact, you have to be so serious that you’d rather die than skip a day.

This is exactly how serious I am about a few habits. I do them every single day, and there’s absolutely zero chance that I’ll skip a day. It’s a matter of life or death. In a sense, it actually is.

You don’t have to use this method for every habit, but only for the ones that you can’t seem to make stick.

KRISTJAN