Starting something new is the easy part. A fresh goal, a fresh month, a fresh promise to yourself to bring more joy into your days. The hard part is week three, when life gets busy, stress turns up and the old routines quietly take the wheel again.
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Anthony Hartcher tackles exactly this in a short solo episode of the Joyful Mate podcast about how to keep going once you have begun. It was recorded at the start of a new year as a follow-up to his five happiness hacks for kick-starting joy, but the ideas suit any fresh start. Here is what he shares.
Start with the why behind the why
Anthony's first foundation is understanding why the change matters to you. He suggests asking yourself "why?" the way a small child does, again and again, until you reach the reason underneath the reason. That deeper answer is usually tied to who you are and who you want to be, which makes it far more durable than a surface goal.
He borrows a line from a past me&my Health Up guest, Robert Evans: keep looking for your why until it makes you cry. Anthony describes that as the moment head and heart line up and the goal feels genuinely important to you.
He also encourages you to look across every area of life, including relationships, family, personal growth, business, career and spirituality. Your why will usually connect strongly to one of them, and once you find it, it becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
Notice when old patterns take over
When we are stressed, Anthony explains, we tend to default to what we already know. The brain lights up familiar pathways because they feel certain, even when the results are ones we don't want. Stress arrives in many forms, so slipping into old habits is not a sign that you have failed. It is something to expect, and to catch as early as you can.
Self-awareness is the skill that does the catching. One clue he offers: if it feels like everything is unfair or working against you, you are probably in a closed mindset and back in an old pattern. In a more expansive, growth-focused mindset you are likelier to ask what is happening and what it might be teaching you. If this idea resonates, our post on catching yourself mid-judgment explores a related way of noticing your own reactions.
Calm your nervous system first
Once you spot the old pattern, the next step is to pause. Anthony points out that while the nervous system is agitated, the mind goes into survival mode and sticks with what it knows. So the first job is not to analyse or fix anything, but to settle.
He is clear that what you reach for matters. A packet of biscuits or a tub of ice cream won't serve you in the long run. Instead, choose calming habits you can sustain, such as:
- Breathing exercises
- Stepping outside and connecting with nature
- Calling a friend
Reflect on the trigger, then get back on track
When you are calm, you can look back at what happened. What drove you into that old mode, and what set it off? Anthony says repeated triggers often point to something that hasn't yet been healed, and that it helps to work through them, with support if you need it. Otherwise you will keep running into the same ones.
Then comes the part many people skip: take the next step forward even after a step back. He compares it to a toddler learning to walk, who gets straight back up after every fall. Beating yourself up for slipping adds nothing. The win is that you noticed, and now you can get back on track.
Protect your energy so momentum has fuel
Anthony's view is that when we have energy we feel unstoppable, and when we don't, everything feels like resistance. Much of the second half of the episode covers the daily habits he uses to keep his own energy steady.
Stay on your priorities
Working on what matters most to you gives you energy, while low-priority tasks drain it. If something keeps distracting you, Anthony suggests asking whether you could hand it to someone who loves doing it, or whether you can connect it to a bigger purpose so it feels less draining.
Keep a steady sleep rhythm and get morning light
He recommends going to bed and waking at consistent times, within about half an hour either way. He shares that a later night on New Year's Eve cost him his energy flow for a short while. To restart momentum, he suggests getting up around sunrise and spending time outdoors in the early light, which he says sets off a cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters that lifts you for the day. Screens, he notes, aren't bright enough to do the same job. Once the sun goes down, he keeps lighting to a minimum to support a good night's sleep.
For more on everyday energy habits, see Energy and Happiness: Looking After a Charged Body and an Ordered Mind.
Work with your body clock around food
Anthony says metabolism is most active in daylight, so eating closer to waking, and avoiding late-night eating, works with the body rather than against it. He also shares his own approach to steady energy: meals built mostly around protein and fats with a small amount of carbohydrate, to avoid the peaks and troughs he links with high-carb meals, caffeine and sugar. He eats until about 80 per cent full and leaves at least four hours between meals rather than snacking every two hours, which he says gives the digestive system time to clean out and repair.
Move often, and sip rather than gulp
Long stretches of sitting work against your energy, he says. His rhythm is concentrated work for up to an hour, or until focus fades if that is closer to 30 or 40 minutes, then a break to walk, stretch and step outside into the sun. He often takes phone calls as walking calls. For hydration, he prefers sipping through the day and going by thirst rather than forcing a two or three litre target, since needs vary with how much you are sweating.
A simple way to put it into practice
You don't need to adopt everything at once. Anthony's ideas work as a short checklist to come back to whenever your momentum wobbles:
- Ask "why?" until you reach the reason that matters to you.
- Catch the moment you slip into an old pattern.
- Pause and calm your nervous system with a habit that supports you.
- Get curious about the trigger, then take the next step forward.
- Look after the basics that fuel your energy: priorities, sleep, light, food and movement.
This article is general information drawn from one podcast episode and reflects Anthony's personal approach. It is not individual health advice. If you have a health condition, take medication or have questions about eating, fasting or hydration, speak with your GP or another qualified health professional.
The Joyful Mate podcast is all about finding more joy in everyday life and keeping it going. You can listen to more episodes on the me&my wellness podcasts page, and if you have found yourself back in old patterns lately, remember that noticing it is already the first step forward.