January is the month when most people make new resolutions. For some, the onset of a new year can be a new beginning for some old desires. Unfortunately, most of those resolutions never became a success for multiple reasons. The main reason is that they never became a habit. Decisions require commitment and action. Your actions have to be intentional. The strategies you employ have to get you into a rhythm. Rhythm is what gets you in the habit. Once you develop a rhythm, you want to maintain the tempo until it becomes effortless like a musical loop. The tempo or the momentum should cause a shift from one stage to another like a skilled composer. The subject of this piece is not necessarily about change, but it’s about forming a new habit. Here’s the tip, try to think of cultivating a new habit like writing the current date (in January) with 2016. I bet you will write 2015 until you alter your awareness to 2016. Forming a new habit is like writing the current date at the dawn of the New Year repeatedly. Writing the correct date will get you into a routine subconsciously. As we exited December and entered January, I noticed that I typed the wrong year until something happened neurologically that informed me that the date was wrong. It usually happens for several days, sporadically, until my brain gets the message that it’s a new year. After a certain amount of days, I engraved a new habit that coordinates my thinking with my actions. Henceforth, I write the precise date consistently without regressing to the previous year around the middle of January. Many scientists say it takes 21 days to form a new habit while some say 13. Whether or not they are correct, that’s not the idea. The central idea is that, with consistent practice, you’ll be able to develop your goal (or resolution) into a habit of just writing the correct date at the start of the New Year. I was reminded of this tip yesterday while I was writing. I accidentally wrote 2015 instead of 2016. As soon as I noticed the error, I immediately corrected it. It happened multiple times since the year began. Based on my experience, the more I write the exact date daily, the more I develop the habit of getting it right. When I arrive at about the middle of the month, that’s when the eraser gathers dust. It just happens automatically. You can use this tip to form any habit you desire, in small increments that will take you one step closer to achieving your goals.