Habits. This can be defined as a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur regularly.
Did you know that you spend 1 out of every 2 minutes doing something that you’re not aware of? This study from Duke University in 2006 found that up to 45% of all our daily behaviors are automatic.
You have good habits. You have bad habits. We focus a lot on changing our bad habits like ‘Stop biting your nails,’ or ‘stop smoking.’ Your life right now is the result of your habits. How successful or unsuccessful you are? A result of you habits. How fit or unfit you are? A result of your habits. How productive you are? Also is a direct result of your habits.
When you learn to transform your habits, you can transform your life. It is important for our generations to focus on self- discipline just as much as self- esteem. Self-discipline and the ability to create intentionally healthy habits is perhaps one of life’s most valuable skills. This is because repetition ultimately forms the person you are.
3 Ways to Form Better Habit
1.Build new habits.
To do this start off small. “Make it so easy you can’t say no.”– Leo Babauta.
Then add to the habit slowly. “Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.”– Jim Rohn.
Never slip twice. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”– Jim Rohn.
Keep a steady pace. “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”– Napoleon Hill.
2. Three Rs of habit formation.
Reminder- The trigger that initiates the behavior. E.g. when you hear the phone ring you know you’ve got an incoming call. This ringtone acts as a cue.
Routine- the behaviour itself; the action you take. E.g. this is the actual outcome. In the previous example it would be you answering the phone.
Reward- the benefit you gain from doing the behavior. E.g. In the example of the phone call, you want to find out what the person has to say. So, in this case, the reward is knowing what the person has to say.
3. Identity- based habits
How to actually stick to your goals. The manner in which to achieve this is to do a mirror image of the type of person you believe you are.
To change your behavior for good, you need to start believing the new things about yourself (subconsciously).
3 Ways to Break Bad Habits
How to break a bad habit? Bad habits usually are a cause of stress or boredom. You can’t get rid of a bad habit you have to replace it. Ways to do this are;
Find a substitute for the bad habit. E.g. what are you going to do when Instagram is calling you to procrastinate? You should write one sentence for work. Cut out the triggers. Remove the triggers to prevent the urge. E.g. if you pick up the remote as soon as you sit on the sofa, then hide the remote.
- How to break the addiction? Remove yourself from the source, this way you aren’t tempted.
- Declutter your mind. You can do this by removing all distractions and whilst working don’t think about anything else.
How to Make a Habit Stick?
How to stick to your goals no matter what using the following simple techniques:
- Plan around events and place them in your schedule.
- Reduce the scope and stick to the schedule.
- Use the if-then technique. E.g. If I wake up late, then I’ll go to the gym after work.
“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”– Warren Buffet.
