When we’re trying to make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative, we often find ourselves in a frustrating situation: we fall behind or we fall off the wagon.

What to do? Here are some useful points to consider:

1. Don’t beat yourself up.
   Although some people assume that strong feelings of guilt or shame act as safeguards to help people stick to good habits, the opposite is true. People who feel less guilt and who show compassion toward themselves in the face of failure are better able to regain self-control, while people who feel deeply guilty and full of self-blame struggle more.
   
   Often, when we feel bad about breaking a good habit, we try to make ourselves feel better by…indulging in the bad habit! A woman told me, “I felt so bad about breaking my diet that I ate three orders of french fries.” This is the cruel poetic justice of bad habits.

2. Remember that what you do most days matters more than what you once in a while.
   If you’re pretty good most days, don’t get too upset if you don’t have a perfect record. Don’t let yourself start to think, “Gosh, I haven’t exercised in ten days, what’s the point of starting now?” Sure, you wish you’d exercised those ten days, but if you get back in the habit, those lost days aren’t a very big deal.
   
   And fail small, not big. Once a good behavior is broken, we sometimes act as though it doesn’t matter whether it’s broken by a little or a lot. “I didn’t do any work this morning, so what the heck, I’ll take the rest of the week off and start on Monday.” “I missed my yoga class over spring break, so what the heck, I’ll start again in the fall.” Pick yourself back up right away!

3. A stumble may prevent a fall.
   If you’ve fallen behind or fallen off the wagon, remind yourself of the valuable proverb: “A stumble may prevent a fall.” Sure, you’ve gone through a rough patch, but you can use this experience to learn more about yourself and your challenges. Maybe you fell behind while traveling, or when you had family visiting, or when you were in a tough stretch at work. How can you use this experience to set yourself up for more success in the future?
   
   Let’s say you were eating very healthfully, then you spent a weekend to a hotel where you ate too much of the wrong food at the all-you-can-eat buffets. So now you’ve learned, “I shouldn’t pick the buffet option. I should order off the menu. That way, I’ll know exactly what food I’ll get, in a set portion.” Studies show that we tend to eat more when faced with a bigger variety, and when it’s self-serve, we can serve ourselves a lot! Remind yourself, “I learned this lesson the hard way. Next time, I’ll make a different choice.”
   
   
4. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
   When we’re making resolutions, it’s easy to set big ambitious goals, and sometimes it’s tough to meet them. We plan to train for a 5K, or get the basement cleared out, or write a rough draft of a novel by the end of the year. Then, we fail to make progress, it’s easy to get discouraged and accuse ourselves of laziness.
   
   Remember, any progress is better than no progress! You may not have finished a full draft, but you have an outline of your novel. You haven’t switched careers yet, but you’ve started thinking about next steps.
   
   Some people find it helpful to keep a ta-da list. A to-do list reminds you of what you need to get done; a ta-da list reminds you of all you’ve accomplished already. A ta-da list can be a tremendous source of energy and reassurance.

5. Consider your Tendency.
   Often, when we fail to make progress, it’s because we haven’t taken our Tendency into account. For instance, if you’re an Obliger, you must have outer accountability. You must! That’s what works for Obligers! If you see that a particular form of outer accountability isn’t working, trying a different form. If paying for a trainer doesn’t get you to go to the gym, try working out with a friend who’s very annoyed when you don’t show up. If that doesn’t work, teach a class. If that doesn’t work, think of your duty to be a role model for someone else. If that doesn’t work, join a group where you tell each other, “I’m counting on you to count on me. If none of us hold each other accountable, none of us will succeed.”
   
   If you’re a Rebel, don’t try to lock yourself into a to-do list or a schedule. That often doesn’t work for a Rebel. Think about what you want, and how you want to live up to your identity.

   If you’re a Questioner, really examine your reasons. Why are you doing this, in this way? Is it the best, most efficient way, and is it tailored to suit you specifically? When Questioners struggle, it’s usually because they’re fundamentally unconvinced by whatever they’re trying to do.

   If you don’t know your Tendency—whether you’re an Upholder, Obliger, Questioner, or Rebel—you can take the free, quick quiz here.

6. Are you giving yourself healthy treats?
   When we give more to ourselves, we can ask more from ourselves. If you’re asking a lot of yourself these days, make sure you’re helping yourself feel energized and cared for by giving yourself healthy treats, whatever that might be for you. For me, it’s reading children’s literature.
   
   But make sure these are healthy treats. You don’t want to try to make yourself feel better by indulging in something (wine, impulse purchases, sweets, messiness) that will make you feel worse in the end.

7. Remember, it’s easier to keep up than to catch up.
   Sometimes, when we’re creating a healthy habit or practice, we need to catch up. We need to clear out a lot of clutter before we can maintain good order. We need to adjust to life without the morning doughnut. This is hard, but remember that once we’re caught up or accustomed to a new way, it gets easier. It may take a few tries to get over the initial hurdle, but remember that the situation will get easier once it’s more ingrained.

   Stay the course! Don’t give up! My book Better Than Before examines the 21 strategies that we can use to make or break our habits, and one of the most helpful strategies is the Strategy of Safeguards. It’s all about how to anticipate challenges, and how to deal with it when we run into trouble.
   
   It’s a very common frustration.