When we mention bad habits, most of our minds automatically jump to things like smoking and biting your nails. However, there is a myriad of habits we can develop that have a negative impact on our daily lives. The procrastinators out there will know how easy it easy to develop a routine that involves wasting hours on YouTube or mobile games. While this might not seem so bad on the surface, it can prevent a person from achieving what they need to, which can have a devastating effect on their life.
Start with the right mindset
Whether it’s smoking or YouTube, half-heartedly committing to tackle the problem will fail. It’s similar to making a leap of faith; the most important part that will ultimately determine your success is the initial power. Just as with a physical leap, there are many variables you must consider to ensure you use the best technique and maximize your chance of success.
One good way to remain mindful of why you want to make this change is to list all of the reasons you need to succeed. List all of the positive gains you’ll make by changing the habit, as well as where the negatives will lead if you don’t succeed. Keep your list on your phone or somewhere else handy so you can refer to it as needed.
Analyze your behavior
You’ve already identified all the wonderful ways you can improve your health and your life on the previous list. This step requires gaining a deeper insight into the why, when, and where of the particular habit. Gaining insight into this behavior will increase your power to change it, not only will you begin to recognize patterns and see potential pitfalls, but you’ll build a solid foundation to help you change.
Fail to plan, plan to fail
Many people fail when they are confronted with a situation or set of circumstances they didn’t anticipate. When this happens the easiest solution is to fall back into an old comfortable habit that helps you avoid dealing with it. However, you can plan for the unknown. For example, if you’re a smoker, you can keep a vape and some cheap premium vape juice handy to deal with particularly stressful moments. It could be just what you need.
It’s far easier to plan for all those predictable moments. Making your plan as comprehensive as possible will increase your chance of success. Having clearly defined steps with milestones removes the need to sit and ponder the change, you simply stick to everything on your plan.
Don’t be too hard on yourself
Many people will expect too much from themselves. Don’t expect to go cold turkey on all your bad habits on one day. When appropriate, try to incorporate some replacement behavior to help lessen the impact. Smokers can use nicotine replacement therapies or a vape, social media addicts could have small allotted periods of screen time to help them cope. As long as your new behavior is a step in the right direction, then you’re doing great.
