Bad habits; we all got’em. You know what they are. You know you should stop. But… it’s hard. In fact, sometimes you feel downright powerless. And you’re not crazy…
Research from Duke University shows 40% of what you do every day isn’t a decision — it’s a habit.
The good news is there’s a guaranteed way to kill those bad habits. The even better news? It’s perfect even for “lazy” people.
It boils down to just a few easy steps:
- One at a time. Beat one bad habit per month and in a year you’ll be awesome.
- Don’t stop. Just count. Don’t eliminate the bad behavior just yet. First, be consistent in your awfulness.
- Don’t change you. Change your world. 20 second rule. Make it harder to engage in bad habits.
- Chill, dude. Stress makes the bad stuff tempting. Relax and you’ll behave better.
- Don’t eliminate. Replace. You can’t kill bad habits but you can swap them out for new ones.
- “If” and “Then.” A simple plan for how you’ll beat temptation helps you beat temptation.
- Forgive yourself. Beating yourself up makes you behave worse. Self-compassion keeps you going.
- Peer pressure is a good thing — when you use it strategically. Mom wanted you to hang out with the smart kids in school because they provided good examples. Mom was right.
The full details are available at Barking Up The Wrong Tree. I highly recommend reading the full post to get a thorough understanding of the process. Also, check out Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.