How do you help clients build positive habits?

As a personal coach, you want to help your clients achieve their goals and improve their well-being. One of the most effective ways to do that is to help them build positive habits that support their vision and values. But how do you help clients build positive habits that stick? Here are some tips and strategies that you can use in your coaching sessions.

1 Identify the why

Before you help your clients create new habits, you need to help them identify the why behind them. What is the purpose and benefit of the habit? How does it align with their goals and values? How will it make them feel? By clarifying the why, you can help your clients increase their motivation and commitment to the habit.

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Vijay Srinivasan

Empowering Professionals to Break Career Stagnation | Leadership & Career Growth Coach | Ex-COO | Founder, Limitless Leaders Tribe | Promotions | Leadership Roles
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I vividly recall my initial coaching experience with a young woman facing personal challenges. A recent law graduate, she couldn't secure a job, which left her deeply demoralized. In our first call, she broke down in tears. Together, we uncovered her desires and delved into the 'why' behind them. Through subsequent sessions, she gained clarity on both 'what' she wanted and 'why.' As fate would have it, within the next 6 weeks, she received three job offers and chose one, where she now excels. A valuable question to ponder is, 'Why do you want what you aim to achieve?'

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Janani Srikanth

Author | Psychologist | Life Coach | Philosopher | Personal Transformation Specialist | Positive Psychology Practitioner | Hypnotherapist | CBT & Mindfulness Practitioner | Organisational Psychology Expert | Engineer
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The habits have to add value to their life circumstances and goals. It is very important to remember that we cannot have a master list of good habits and try to fit clients into those that may work. For instance waking up at 5AM is not an ideal goal for a new parent easing into the work routine. The habit must be serving the client well and need not be a pursuit of the ideal. This helps get them into their best versions.

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2 Start small and simple

One of the biggest challenges in building positive habits is overcoming inertia and resistance. To make it easier for your clients, you need to help them start small and simple. Break down the habit into manageable steps and actions that they can do consistently and easily. For example, if your client wants to exercise more, you can help them start with 10 minutes of walking a day, instead of an hour of intense workout.

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Robert Booth, CCLC

Certified Christian Life Coach
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A great question to ask is: What is something simple/easy that you can start doing today? Starting with something they can implement or attain today will give them an early win and create momentum. Also, it's a great exercise if you plan to use S.M.A.R.T goals with your client.

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Janani Srikanth

Author | Psychologist | Life Coach | Philosopher | Personal Transformation Specialist | Positive Psychology Practitioner | Hypnotherapist | CBT & Mindfulness Practitioner | Organisational Psychology Expert | Engineer
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Some clients crave to have a perfect routine. Some want to lose weight. Some want to get a promotion at work. Some may want to balance life better. The habits we identify are the foundation. Once this is in place, finding a way to implement them in phases becomes easy.

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3 Use cues and rewards

Another key factor in building positive habits is to use cues and rewards. Cues are triggers that remind your clients to perform the habit, such as a time, a place, or an event. Rewards are incentives that reinforce the habit, such as a positive emotion, a compliment, or a treat. By using cues and rewards, you can help your clients create a feedback loop that makes the habit more automatic and enjoyable.

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4 Track and celebrate progress

To help your clients sustain their positive habits, you need to help them track and celebrate their progress. Tracking helps your clients measure their performance and see their improvement. Celebrating helps your clients appreciate their efforts and achievements. You can help your clients track and celebrate their progress by using tools such as journals, calendars, apps, or charts. You can also help them set milestones and rewards for reaching them.

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5 Address challenges and setbacks

Building positive habits is not a linear process. Your clients will face challenges and setbacks along the way, such as distractions, temptations, or obstacles. To help your clients overcome these challenges and setbacks, you need to help them adopt a growth mindset and a resilient attitude. You can help your clients adopt a growth mindset by helping them see challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow, not as failures or flaws. You can help your clients adopt a resilient attitude by helping them cope with stress, emotions, and negative thoughts, and by helping them reframe and refocus on their why and their goals.

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Janani Srikanth

Author | Psychologist | Life Coach | Philosopher | Personal Transformation Specialist | Positive Psychology Practitioner | Hypnotherapist | CBT & Mindfulness Practitioner | Organisational Psychology Expert | Engineer
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Keep at it. This is something we have to encourage and ingrain as a life lesson to stay motivated. It is okay to have a setback. It is important to continue on the journey. When this becomes a part of their ideology, it becomes easier to tackle future challenges.

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6 Support and accountability

The last tip to help your clients build positive habits is to provide them with support and accountability. Support means giving your clients encouragement, feedback, and guidance throughout their habit journey. Accountability means holding your clients responsible for their actions and outcomes, and helping them stay on track with their habit plan. You can provide your clients with support and accountability by using techniques such as coaching questions, affirmations, reflections, check-ins, or reminders.

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Cameron Harris

I Help Time-Poor Entrepreneurs and C-Suite Execs Transform their Health | Human First Fitness In a Digital World
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We assess the clients habits. Making a long list, then deciding on which 3/4 are having the biggest negative impact. Taking those, we flip them into the positive version. We then get the client to tick them off daily inside of our app. We hold them accountable to doing so.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you help clients build positive habits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the why

2 Start small and simple

3 Use cues and rewards

4 Track and celebrate progress

5 Address challenges and setbacks

6 Support and accountability

7 Here’s what else to consider

Personal Coaching

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How do you help clients build positive habits?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the why

2 Start small and simple

3 Use cues and rewards

4 Track and celebrate progress

5 Address challenges and setbacks

6 Support and accountability

7 Here’s what else to consider

Personal Coaching

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