Simple Ways to break a Bad Habit

Commit for a Month. Thirty days is all you need to make a habit change permanent. Less time than that and the new alternative might not be hardwired into your brain. More time and any failures to last are usually a failure of strategy, not duration.

Quit feeding the bad habit. There are two “wolves” inside us that fight each other. One wolf represents good habits while the other represents bad habits. Which wolf will win the fight? The answer is the one you feed. So breaking bad habit is actually simple: just stop feeding it. Leave the bad habit starve and you are on your way to get it away from your life.

Repeat positive affirmations to yourself constantly. Think or even say aloud your affirmations. Make sure to frame your affirmations positive. Say it constantly throughout the day. Pretend that you have already achieved your desired habit and you’re telling someone about it.

Write it down. Winston Churchill once said, “Plans are useless, planning is invaluable.” Writing out any commitments you make will give you clarity both to what you desire and how you intend to do it.

One at a time, please. Don’t try to change all the habits at once. Try it one at a time. If you start up with a list of habits, then you will feel overwhelmed and at the end you will be at your starting stage. Your sub conscious mind doesn’t take all at once.

Make “no exceptions” policy. Once you decide to break a bad habit, stick with your decision. Make no exceptions to come back to it for whatever reason. I know its not easy, But if there is any exception, you need to put enormous amount of effort to start again.

Revel in pleasure. When a habit has truly been formed, it becomes a pleasure to perform. (That’s why the bad ones are hard to break!) Every time you make progress, take a moment to think about how good it feels to be the new you.

Replace What You Lose. Your habits fulfill needs. When you suddenly cause a change, you may inadvertently cut them out. Before you make a change, write down all the benefits you currently get from your bad habit and make sure they are retained going into the new habit.

Focus on the present, not the past. The problem with most feedback is that it tends to involve rehashing the past. We can’t change what already has occurred. What we can change is the future.