How to break your BAD habits

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Habits, bittersweet habits.
Some are so hard to stick and others are our second-nature (usually the bad ones).

We’ve talked previously about how to make habits stick because we want to make our days more productive and become more successful, but at the end of the day, we go back to those stinky, sticky bad habits.

Why are bad habits so hard to break?

It’s not your fault, it’s all because of your brain.

Our brain is addicted to bad habits because it loves routines, they make it feel safe and that’s why, as time passes by, it’ll be so much easier to repeat that habit.

Habits are made of 3 core components:
– The Trigger
– The Routine
– The Reward

The trigger is what tells your brain to go on “automatic mode”.
The routine is what your brain is “trained” to do, after the trigger.
The reward is, basically, the reason why you’re doing this.

How do you break the routine?

In theory, it’s really simple:

– Choose the habit you wish to change
– Choose an alternative habit to replace it with
– Keep on replacing it for, at least, 21 days

In practice, your primary goal is to find a way to break the pattern and avoid the TRIGGER.

For eg., every morning, as soon as you wake up, you grab your phone and spend 30 to 60mins on social media. BAD HABIT

Break the pattern by leaving the phone in another room, or, put a book, you wish to read, on your nightstand.

So, as you wake up, it’ll be easier to grab the book and spend some time on your personal development. GOOD HABIT

This is a great tip to make it easier to switch habits from bad to good ones.

Lastly, don’t forget about the REWARD.
As I said, it’s the last step of the “loop” and it’s just as important as the first one, the cue.

Identify your reward and find a healthy substitute for it.
For eg. sometimes we eat sweets or cookies because we think we’re hungry, but actually, we’re probably just thirsty!

Now it’s up to you

Work on a habit at a time, focus on it and be consistent!

Good luck,

xoxo