As Summer brings fresh inspiration, it’s the perfect time for new habits and what’s better than obtaining healthy habits that actually bring you joy?
Warmer sun rays and green buds just feel more like a new fresh start than New Year to me, to be honest. It’s the beginning of bloom, warmth, light and happiness!
There are researchers that state the formation of a new habit takes 21 days of consistent repetition of the habit.
I believe it dates back to 1960's when a self-help book called “Psycho Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life” was released by a cosmetic surgeon Dr. Maxwell Maltz, but nowadays this theory is everywhere!
Be it waking up at 5 am, going for a daily walk, journalling, meditating, eating healthy or reading before bedtime - any new activity you’re keen to incorporate in your daily life can be considered a habit that takes a certain (arguable) amount of time to obtain.
Moreover, there are theories that consider 66 days as the average time, meaning it could ask you from 18 to 254 days to form a new habit.
Yes, it’s not easy…
I’m like most people – I’m not the best at forming new habits as it’s uncomfortable, it gets messy, I never have time and get frustrated when I forget repeating them. And the truth is, the older I get, the more things I tend to forget.
Nonetheless, it always brings me joy as the challenge pushes me to become better every day. And that’s the ultimate goal, right?
What’s helped me?
I think I have mentioned this in one of our previous blogs, but a method I love using is merging habits together.
If I want to remember to put on a face mask every three days, I will merge it with a habit that I already have like reading or watching television.
New approach!
As we have just recently launched our Hyaluronic Acid & Collagen Sheet Masks, I really want to form a new habit of putting it on every 3 to 5/7 days, depending on how my skin feels.
I was reading about habit formation and came across a wonderful method that I’m going to try out. As it’s the Rumi Cosmetiques mask I want to remember using frequently, I'll call it “The Rumi method of 3 R’s”.
It’s a cycle of three sections: Routine, Reward and Reminder, have a look at the visualization I created below:
The Routine represents the action you take, for me it would be applying the FACE RE-FRESH sheet mask.
The Reward is the goodness you get out of it. For me it’s the deeply moisturized, fresh, smooth and radiant skin I’m left with after the 20 minutes of having the mask on. It truly makes my skin soft, plump and luminous!
The Reminder is the so-called trigger that starts the habit. And this is where it gets exciting for me!
What’s the reminder?
I have put a small note on my kitchen counter that says: “20 minutes”. And it’s actually 20 minutes of me becoming a better human being. I tried to create the reminder on my phone, but found that the physical note works best for me as it’s an “inconsistent” habit I want to obtain this time, I want to repeat it once every 3 to 5 days.
I changed the application of a sheet mask from being a burden to me (as I always forget about it & feel annoyed with myself because of that), even though the result always makes me overflowed with joy (similar as with physical exercise), to it being a joyous experience of dedicated time for myself, for becoming better.
How?
Tending to change the actual activity, my habit is doing things that I “don’t have the time for” during the week.
It’s things like calling my friends or family, reading a book that I always postpone and catch myself after a month of reading silence, cleaning up, applying hand lotion, journalling, taking a relaxing bath, writing down my gratitude list, watching an online course on something, organizing, paying the bills, cleaning the fish tank or whatever it may be.
Why it works?
It adds to the “Reward” pillar. Every time I put on a face mask, not only do I get wonderfully hydrated skin, but I also experience joy after having talked to my mum or a friend for a good 20 to 30 minutes. Or the joy of enjoying a relaxing bath, the joy of having an organized kitchen with zero dishes in the sink or whichever activity I choose for the time of having a mask on.
Time is money
And not in a corny way you probably read it. Meaning, time is valuable. Having 20 to 30 minutes (it’s how long you should keep the mask on) for yourself, a dedicated time for becoming better in whatever sphere you decide on that day, makes a tremendous change.
It seems like a small investment, but imagine doing it twice or three times a week, for a period of a month, or 6 or 12 months.
Your skin will thank you!
Truly, your skin, after having used the FACE RE-FRESH hyaluronic acid & collagen sheet mask consistently, will be radiant, healthy and happy.
PLUS! You’ll have done all of these small habits merged into this one. And I’m saying “you” because I will surely do it and would love for you to join.
R.R.R.R.
Why four? I think that if we’re all going to create this new habit this Spring, we should have our own collective challenge group. The Rumi Routine Reward Reminder community!
I’m kidding, of course, but in a sense, I’m not. Even if you don’t choose to try out our new FACE RE-FRESH sheet mask and merge it with a 20-30 minute challenge of becoming better, use it differently, but do try it!
I think it’s a powerful technique for obtaining a new habit – merging it with a habit you already have or forming a double-habit, resulting in double the gain, double the joy.
All in all, I hope you find inspiration and the courage to form a new habit (or several) that you deeply benefit from – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Have a lovely weekend!
Kate