Developing Habits: A Bufferchat Recap

This week in #bufferchat, our discussion topic was “developing habits” and we explored the first steps to forming new habits, how to maintain them, inspiring resources to help us, and everything in between!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

For our community in Asia and Australia (or anyone in other timezones that like this time the best!): 4 pm AEDT (Sydney time, UTC+11)

For our community in North/South America, Europe and Africa (or others!): 9 am PT (California time)

Q1: What motivates you to work on developing a new habit?

From the community:

• “The motivating factor for me is the impact of the new habit. Does it improve my productivity, health, the people around me?” @_missward
• “Creativity, wellness, and positivity are my main drivers for starting a habit.” @EmeraldPacific
• “If I have a clear intention + purpose behind what I’m doing. Otherwise I won’t stick to it!” @broganmicallef
• “New habits always come from pain points in my life. I decide what I want to do better & create a new habit to address.” @aperfectsturm2
• “Making a difference & finding ways to connect better to people, whether its through daily interaction, motivates me.” @erjlee

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: What might be the first step in forming a new habit?

From the community:

• “Decide “why” you’re forming the new habit & what goal you want to accomplish from it; hold yourself accountable!” @courtney_Z28
• “Writing down all the great things you’ll receive from the new habit. Stick the top benefit on the fridge!” @TheMissNicolina
• “Whatever it is start small. Read a chapter, or just a page, a day. Wake up 15 min earlier until its natural, etc.” @Gen_Fuller
• “Making a commitment which is a first step towards achieving your habit. Take baby steps if it something huge.” @SanelySocial
• “Start today. Not tomorrow, not next week. Planning and thinking too much can lead to inaction.” @angelaabastos

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: What are some strategies or tools you’ve used for maintaining habits?

From the community:

• “I set it as the alarm on my phone so it’s the first thing I see when I wake up :)” @kyriemelnyck
• “I make sure I don’t do too much within a short space of time. You need to develop your willpower muscles slowly.” @neneodonkor
• “Also, taking time to reflect on positive results of the habit. Seeing the positive changes motivates me to keep going.” @stephawharton
• “Setting reminders & making lists are strategies I use to maintain habits. @Wunderlist & my google calendar are my lifeline.” @RJ_PictureThat
• “I totally swear by my @passion_planner because it helps you accomplish your goals and establish healthy habits.” @nancycasanova

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: Have you ever been successful in letting go of an undesirable habit? If so, what advice would you share?

From the community:

• “Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Support systems are an excellent source of help when trying to change – habits into + ones!” @anthonydlarsen
• “Yep. Be ready to fail, learn from it, & try again. My habit was smoking. It took a couple of tries but one eventually stuck.” @ReginaWalton
• “Oh my gosh yes – negative self talk. Be mindful, be patient, and be focused. Surround yourself with success stories.” @M2Franz
• “It’s hard to stop doing something by trying to stop. It must be replaced with something else.” @AnnaAnnamotion
• “Attempting to do that currently. Patience is extremely important, just take it one day at a time.” @kathynwh4

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: What particular habits have you found to be the most challenging to maintain?

From the community:

• “The habits that require me to stop: reflect journal, meditate. It feels counterproductive to halt, but it’s essential!” @juliabreathes
• “Being active is a tough one. Working digitally keeps me in front of the screen a lot. Also subbing healthy snacks over junk.” @UXcelsior
• “I recently I realized I’m not staying in the moment in life – always planning ahead, looking forward to something. So I’m working on staying present everyday, and enjoying what each day brings. Some days, it’s a challenge!” @CMGRMelissa
• “Tough but worthwhile habit is #writing everyday. It’s a way to express, share and build skills.” @abcpanotary
• “To believe in my #vision and not being influenced by what others think and say.” @YoMonteolivo

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: What resources (books, blogs, etc.) on habit formation would you recommend?

From the community:

• Books:
  • 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  • The Obstacle is the Way
  • Hooked
  • Essentialism
  • The Power of Habit
  • Everyday I Fight
  • The Checklist Manifesto
  • The Four Hour Body
  • The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying
  • Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
  • Small Move, Big Change
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People
  • Better than Before
  • The Secret
  • Integrative Nutrition
  • 10% Happier
  • The Happiness Project
  • Year of Yes
  • Make It Stick
  • The Art of Good Habits
  • The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
  • No Excuses
  • The Dip
  • Thinking Fast & Slow
  • Listful Thinking
  • Making Good Habits, Breaking Bad Habits
• Blogs:
  • Gretchen Rubin
  • Brain Picker
  • Win Forever
  • Daily Greatness
  • OneRedCatMedia
  • Eric Barker
  • Hustle & Grind
  • Robin Sharma
  • ZenHabits
  • Conspire
  • Psychology Today
  • My Morning Routine
  • LifeHack
  • Tiny Buddha
  • The Minimalists
• Apps:
  • ReWire
  • Way of Life
• More:
  • Pomodoro Technique
  • TED Talks
  • MOTI
  • Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: If you’re up for sharing, what’s one self-improvement habit you’re currently working on?

From the community:

• “Self compassion. I tend to be incredibly hard on myself, so I’m working on releasing that.” @kristlyuen
• “Right now, recovering my reading habit. 10 books in the last 3 months. Good average!” @sergio_redondo
• “To keep track of my goals and mrk my progress! I don’t like moving aimlessly – want to be driven by purpose.” @lifeofaworkgirl
• “As a soon to be college grad, I’m working on being more positive + keeping my head up during the job search :)” @anniebearvu
• “Haha just one? Meditation (and with it: mindful eating).” @TamaraHala
• “I’m trying to get into the habit of creating art every day (quality, complexity don’t matter, consistency does).” @SuhailaSKB
• “I’m also challenging myself to explore new places every weekend. Go take a hike, spend a day at the beach, take a drive, etc.” @EmeraldPacific
• “Telling myself that I am good enough to do anything, confidence.” @pjervis

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

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Thank you so much to the community for sharing your awesome insights and for participating in this awesome chat!

Catch #bufferchat each Wednesday at 9 am PST, 12 pm EST, 5 pm GMT **OR** at 4 pm AEDT (Sydney time, UTC+11). Join our new Slack community with over 1,000 members to continue these awesome conversations all week long!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash