You’ve likely heard the age-old saying “slow and steady wins the race”. In terms of meeting your goals and establishing a healthy routine, this mindset can prove extremely effective.
So, how does working towards your goals and incorporating habits into your routine slowly help with your success? Here, we’ll look at the benefits of taking things slow.
Habits Take Time to Build
Even with the best intentions, you can’t develop healthier habits overnight. You need to literally rewire the brain so that the habit you’re working on becomes as natural as breathing.
Experts argue about how long it actually takes to establish new habits in the mind. Some say it takes 21 days, while others say it takes 66. The exact time depends on each person, but the main factor to remember here is that it does take time.
By working on small habits each day, it helps you to rewire the brain and develop longer-lasting lifestyle changes.
You Won’t Feel Overwhelmed
If you’re trying to change too many things at the same time, it’s going to cause you to become overwhelmed. This in turn will lead you to give up on your goals. It’s also harder to keep things in perspective when you’re focusing on one larger goal, rather than smaller ones.
So, by breaking down your goals and spreading them out into smaller tasks, you’re going to avoid getting overwhelmed and you’ll also see regular progress.
Keeping Stress to a Minimum
The slow but steady approach can also help to keep your stress levels to a minimum. When you’re trying to reach a goal quickly, it can be really stressful if you aren’t seeing as much progress as you think you should.
The trouble is, when you feel stressed, you’re also much less likely to stick to healthy habits and routines. So, if you focus on keeping stress levels to a minimum, it’s going to increase your chance of success.
You’ll Be Less Likely to Stray from Healthy Habits
When you work on changing your lifestyle slowly, you’ll be less likely to stray from healthy habits. Think of losing weight as an example.
To lose weight, a key factor is to give up junk foods and exercise regularly. The trouble is, stopping everything at once can shock the brain, leading a range of nasty side effects. These side effects will ultimately make you give up before you’ve even got going.
On the other hand, if you were to make smaller changes over time, you won’t find it to be as much of a shock to the system. This makes it easier to maintain and less likely that you’ll give up.
Whatever it is you are working towards, using the slow and steady approach can prove really useful. The above are just some of the reasons starting small and taking it slow can help you to achieve your goals. It’s also worth remembering that reaching your goals gradually also increases the chance you’ll maintain the result. So, for long-lasting results, create a routine which helps you reach your goals in a more gradual manner.
