How to replace bad habits with good ones

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Bad habits cannot be eradicated by persistence and willpower alone. But that's how most people try to deal with them. Business coach Kari Granger shared tips to help you develop new habits and replace old ones. Lifehacker publishes a translation of her article.

1. Find a substitute

“One day my little kid took my car keys away from me,” says Granger, “and we were so late that day. If I had just taken the keys from him, he would have burst into tears. So I took a toy panda and started playing with it with enthusiasm. The child immediately dropped the keys and reached for the panda. This taught me a lesson. I realized that adults are not very different from children: we also need such a "panda" - a substitute for our bad habit."

The brain doesn't like being told "no", no less than a small child. So try to find a suitable alternative so that the brain can say yes to the substitute habit. So, if you want to give up coffee, find another drink for yourself that will energize you in the morning, such as mate.

2. Choose short-term goals

Few people manage to fulfill the promises made to themselves for the new year. This is because we usually set goals for the whole year ahead. These long-term goals do not work when it comes to our bad habits (for example, the habit of eating something sweet after lunch instead of going for a walk or eating an apple).

Set yourself a short-term goal. In the beginning, it can be hard to maintain the habit for even a week. So think about doing something for at least one hour, one morning, one day.

3. Make a bet

For example, agree with a friend that if you do not go to the gym today, you will give him a thousand rubles (or two, or three). The amount can be any, the main thing is that it is not easy for you to part with it. This will make you fulfill your promise.

4. Set yourself process goals, not results goals

Usually we just set ourselves goals-results, for example: "I want to lose 10 kilograms in two months." Goals formulated in this way don't fit well into our daily routines. Instead, frame the goal as a process. For example, drinking a glass of lemon water before every alcoholic drink or coffee.

5. Do everything consciously

Most of our bad habits are unconscious actions. We wake up in the morning and do them automatically.

When we enjoy an action, our brain releases pleasure chemicals such as dopamine and oxytocin. Because of this, the brain will give us a signal each time to repeat this action. That is why we find it so difficult to get rid of habits and addictions.

Try to notice where the usual action begins. If you are craving coffee, notice how saliva builds up in your mouth. Track where your caffeine cravings originate: in your stomach or in your mouth. What thoughts come to your mind? When does the body start to function? When does the feeling of pleasure come: before you take a sip, or after?

We cannot control what we are not aware of. Therefore, the more consciously we relate to our habits, the more chances we have to turn them into conscious actions.

6. Remember your weaknesses

We have limited reserves of willpower, and when we are emotionally, physically, or mentally depleted, those reserves become even smaller. Therefore, if you know that tomorrow is a tough day, prepare for this in advance.

“If I know that I have to get up early tomorrow (which means that in the morning I will be tired and irritated), I fall asleep in the mate kettle in the evening,” says Kari Granger."It helps me deal with the urge to drink coffee in the morning."

7. Report to someone

Tell us what happened and what didn't work. Don't shy away. This “report” helps the other to keep track of their progress.

8. Create a reward system

If you chose your panda (substitute habit) over a bad habit five times in a row, you deserve a reward. The rewards should be really important to you, and they should reinforce the new habit, not support the old one. For example, if you've been to the gym five times, you can buy yourself a new album on iTunes (not a cake).

9. Find a compelling motive

It is very important to know the motive behind our goal. It is unlikely that the mere thought that exercise is good for your health will help you get up at five in the morning and go to the gym. It may be enough for some to want the perfect body, but most of us will have to dig deeper to find a compelling motive. This is where it is worth remembering your long-term goals.

10. Do 300 to 3,000 reps

It takes 300 repetitions for the body to remember a new habit, and 3,000 repetitions to fully master it. Yes, it will take a long time, but remember how often we rejoice too early in our victory, and then we can not stand it and return to the old habit. Now you know exactly how long it will take you.