When students struggle with finding time to practice, I always suggest that parents choose a cue, such as, "You just finished your snack - time to practice!" Or, "Go brush your teeth, and then practice your lesson."
I have found that once children begin to expect the cue, they are a lot less likely to resist. Once parents establish a routine, they can follow up with small, motivational rewards until the practice habit becomes ingrained.
Setting up cues and rewards isn't just for music students though, and it's not just for kids, either. I would venture to say that all of us have areas in our lives that would benefit from pre-meditated decisions.
Two personal areas that I have used it in my own life:
When I was a teenager, I read fiction like mad. When I found myself struggling to read my Bible every day, I set up my own cue (which, fittingly, was any urge to read fiction), and my own reward (read fiction guilt free, as long as I had read my Bible already that day). It didn't take long before I stopped thinking about the cues and rewards, and just continued my daily habit without giving it a second thought.
In the past 6 months, I have become a pretty avid YouTube viewer. I realized that I wasn't doing myself any favors by zoning out and watching endless videos (even if they were motivational). Once I noticed myself scrolling through the suggestions while ignoring the last video I had clicked through to, I realized that I wasn't in the mood to watch anything - I was merely in the mood to look for something to watch. I set up a new cue for myself (scrolling while not watching the just-chosen, currently-playing video) and gave myself a new reward (feeling awfully proud of myself for knowing when to call it quits). Seems too simple, but it's been tremendously helpful in thwarting my YouTube addiction!
Take action! Choose two areas of your life that you have trouble controlling. Choose a cue and a reward for yourself, and see if you can develop better habits! I'm getting ready to do this for myself too. I'm going to spend a bit of time thinking about the things that bother me the most, and start there. Then I'm going to write them down to see if that helps me feel more committed to my goals. I'll try to come back here and comment when I get all sorted out! Feel free to comment with your own goals, cues, and rewards! It may just help somebody else!