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Stop Forgetting to Floss…Use this Trick

    Stop Forgetting to Floss…Use this Trick

    Statistics claim that a mere 22% of people in the United States floss on a daily basis. So, be honest, are you one of the over three-quarters of people whom does not remember to floss every day? If so, this article will show you a great tip that relies on the power of checklists to help whip your flossing routine into shape.

    You can also use this trick to help improve your habits in other areas of your daily bathroom routine…or any other routine for that matter. In our test, our test subject went from flossing about ten times per month, to over 25 times per month! That is a huge increase and it was all thanks to this one simple trick.

    Perfect Any Good Habit

    We see it all the time in movies and on TV. The main character wakes up to the alarm, hits snooze, eventually climbs out of bed and lumbers into the bathroom where they brush, floss, fix their hair, shave and whatever else it is they do before rushing out the door. But as we know from above, only 22% of those move and TV characters should actually be flossing because most people DO NOT floss regularly!

    And then what about those of us that take supplements? WebMD says that over half of us take some sort of supplement and if we’re even remotely as consistent as we are with flossing, then we’re probably missing a lot of our scheduled doses, right? That’s not good either because many supplements are only effective when taken regularly.

    The Myth About Forming a Good Habit

    Most people have heard that forming a good habit takes 21 days. That is false however according to new studies. Forming a new habit and baking it into your life will take at least two full months. I personally like to give it 90 days. Which is why I love 90-day challenges.

    Three Steps to Achieve Success

    Start forming a new good habit by taking baby steps. Don’t go from watching 4 hours of TV each weeknight to cold turkey. Instead, reduce the time you watch TV a little bit each week over the 60 – 90 days and be mindful of the alternative activity that you’re replacing for TV. For example, reading, cooking, or spending more time with family.

    Geez, that sounds like taking relaxing TV time away to doing more things that require energy!

    Sure it does! So you could also cut an hour of TV for an extra hour of sleep. Either way, taking small steps will increase your chances for success.

    Also, don’t go on an insane mission to change multiple habits at once. Choose and commit to ONE habit at a time. The trick here is to write down everything you want to change and then carefully consider the habit you want to work on next. Multi-tasking does not work and will lead to failure. Choose something that will make a real difference and that will be doable over the next 60 – 90 days.

    Last but not least, write everything down. If you’re cutting TV, write down the hours each week over the next 60 days when you CAN watch TV. Carefully plan your weening off on paper so that it is balanced and reasonable. Keep that document visible and soon enough you will be wondering what on earth you needed all that TV for in the first place! If its remembering to floss, then write your bathroom routine down on a checklist and place that on your bathroom mirror.

    Checklists are Very Powerful

    For professionals like pilots, nurses, and technical folks, checklists are possibly the most important tool they have at their disposal. Pressure is high. Mistakes can’t happen and accuracy has to be 100%. Otherwise people could get hurt. Checklists relieve pressure and improve accuracy because you don’t have to remember anything.

    The Test

    Want to see how a checklist helped our test subject go from flossing zero to flossing hero? Check it out here. Throughout the 60-day trial, the subject filled out a calendar to record days when the routine was completed and he got an astounding 50 out of 60.

    MORNING

    1. Floss
    2. 2 minutes of brushing
    3. Supplements (these were pre-sorted)
    4. Electric Pre-Shave Splash
    5. Electric shave
    6. Comb hair

    BEDTIME

    1. Facial cleanser
    2. Supplements
    3. Rogaine
    4. 2 minutes of bushing
    5. Clean and insert retainer

     

    That’s all it took was a simple notecard and a piece of tape, and viola, our subject put his dental health back on track! Next up…eating more vegetables!