How to Make New Habits Stick

Welcome to The Dawn Trail!

Quick Update: I’m working on building an online meditation community!

The goal is to teach people to meditate, and offer a space for people to share their experiences, questions, and progress. Lots of studies show the benefits of community on habit forming, and I’m hoping this can be a powerful way to help people build lasting healthy habits.

I’m looking for a few interested people who would be willing to test it out for free. If you want to join, reply to this email and let me know you’re interested. When I get the first part of the course and community up and running (next ~1 week), I’ll send you an invite to join at no cost.

Regardless of whether you want to join, I’m glad you’re here, so let’s jump into this week’s content!

TRIVIA
Which famous scientist is famous for the quote “Imagination is more important than knowledge”

⭐ Hint: They have great hair ⭐

The answer is at the end of this email, I’ll see you there!

Links
Great Reads Around the Internet

💪 Diet and Exercise

Demystifying diet and exercise - A deeper understanding of how “calories in vs calories out” actually works.

A review and guide for the Slow Carb Diet - A diet built to help you lose fat and gain muscle fast.

🧘 Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness for the winter blues - Some mindful practices for overcoming seasonal sadness

How and why you should start mindfulness journaling - a good way to dip your toes in if you’re new to mindfulness, or want to add another string to your bow if you’re a seasoned vet.

😴 Improve Your Sleep

Wearing an eye mask can improve sleep and cognition - blocking out all artificial light is a good thing! (I got this one for the hospital when my son was born and we’ve been using them ever since)

The Scandinavian sleep method - why Scandinavians sleep with single duvets.

😴 Uplifting News

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

What rats can teach us about the importance of play, and how to incorporate more into your life.

Deep Dive
How to Make New Habits Stick

We’ve all started a new habit or routine just to have it fall to the wayside. Here are some science-backed tips to help you make sure the next time you start something new, that it sticks!

Consistency and Routine
Studies in the field of neuropsychology have found that consistency and routine help to establish neural patterns that make a behavior more automatic. Performing a habit in the same context (e.g., time and place) reinforces these patterns.

Set SMART Goals
The SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) for goal setting have been validated through research in organizational psychology, indicating their effectiveness in both professional and personal settings.

Track Your Progress
Tracking your behavior, is a critical component of habit formation and is backed by extensive research. A review of studies published in the "Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology" found that self-monitoring is one of the most effective behavior change techniques, especially in the context of health-related behaviors.

Social Support (Community)
The impact of social support and observational learning on behavior change is central to Social Learning Theory, which is one of the most influential theories in psychology. A systematic review in the "Journal of Public Health" confirms that social support, including community and family involvement, significantly enhances the effectiveness of behavior change interventions.

Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement is a well-established concept in psychology, particularly in the context of learning new habits. Studies show that positive reinforcement (rewards) can increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

That’s all for today
How you can help…

1. Reply to this email if you want to help test the meditation community i’m building, completely free.

2. Share the newsletter on your socials to help get the word out (we’re small but mighty!) (copy this link)

Trivia Answer: Albert Einstein said “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Thank you for reading, have a wonderful week!