BBC随身英语｜总是半途而废？试试这些习惯养成法

Small steps to build long-lasting habits

It's day one of a healthier, smarter, better you. You're full of zest and good intentions. You woke up at 5am to run before work, you read a book in your lunch break, and you listened to an English podcast on your commute. Now, fast forward three months. Life is getting in the way, and you've slipped into old habits… snoozing your alarm and eating chocolate for breakfast. Sound familiar?

Don't be hard on yourself. It's unrealistic to rely on willpower alone. As James Clear, author of the bestselling book 'Atomic Habits', writes, "The problem isn't you. The problem is your system." Our habits come from goals, so start by getting really clear. Goals, according to George T Doran, should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It's not enough to say, "I'll exercise more" – that's too vague! A SMART goal would be "I'm going to walk for 20 minutes in the evenings on weekdays." Now you have a clear action that you can stick to.

Once you're clear on your goals, you need to make the associated habits as automatic as possible. Try 'habitstacking', a technique popularised in the book 'Atomic Habits', which involves attaching a new habit onto something you already do regularly. For example, if you already make coffee every morning, use that moment to read your book for 20 minutes. That way, your new reading habit is now intertwined with something you're going to do anyway.

Another key strategy is to reward yourself, to transform the habit from a chore into something pleasurable. If it's hard to get yourself to the gym, promise yourself that after each visit, you'll allow yourself a treat – a takeaway meal or an episode of your favourite TV show.

Even with our best intentions and a great system, stress and interruptions to your routine like social events can still make keeping habits feel like an uphill battle.

If or when you have setbacks, accept it as part of the process. Life is full of spontaneity and uncertainty – one could argue that's what keeps it interesting! Use setbacks as a pause for reflection and review. What about your system is working? What's no longer serving you? Then, get back on track.

词汇表
zest [zest] 热情，兴致
commute [kəˈmjuːt] 通勤，上下班路程  
fast forward 快进，时间跳跃  
get in the way 阻碍，妨碍  
slip into [slɪp] 陷入，逐渐养成（坏习惯）
snooze the alarm [snuːz] 按掉闹钟继续睡，按下贪睡按钮
hard on yourself 对自己太苛刻
willpower [ˈwɪlpaʊə(r)] 意志力  ，毅力
Atomic Habits [əˌtɒmɪk ˈhæbɪts] 《原子习惯》（书名）  
time-bound [ˈtaɪm baʊnd] 有时间要求的，受时间限制的
vague [veɪɡ] 模糊的，不明确的  
automatic [ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk] 自动化的，无意识的  
habitstacking [ˈhæbɪtˌstækɪŋ] 习惯叠加（将新习惯与现有习惯结合）  
be intertwined with [ˌɪntəˈtwaɪnd] 与…紧密关联 ，交织
chore [tʃɔː(r)] 杂事，琐事，苦差事
uphill battle [ˌʌpˈhɪl ˈbæt(ə)l] 艰苦斗争，苦战
setback [ˈsetbæk] 挫折，阻碍  
spontaneity [ˌspɒntəˈneɪəti] 自发性，自然
get back on track 重回正轨 ，重振旗鼓

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