Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
Charles Reader
In the previous post, keeping self-promises, I stressed the importance of self-discipline and how to build the habit of keeping promises. Self discipline is a self-reinforcing habit, which is the reason why it is crucial to start working on it first.
A habit is like a muscle; the more you train it, the more you'll be able to lift with it. It is also like a ship; the more you dig holes in it, the more it will sink. An easy way to work on a habit, just like with self discipline, is to gradually form it.
For instance, if you would like to quit smoking (or in other terms, form the habit of not smoking), you should start by assessing your current situation:
- How many cigarettes (or packs) on average do you smoke per day?
- What is the maximum number of cigarettes you would smoke in the most stressful day possible?
Let's assume you smoke a pack a day and would smoke two if your life were in the gutter. Make two packs, or 40 cigarettes, your upper limit. If you're not comfortable with it as your upper limit, you need to set a limit that you're convinced you won't exceed.
Next, you need to measure and keep track of the number of cigarettes you're smoking, even if you're sure you will not cross the upper limit. Write down the number of cigarettes you smoke in a spreadsheet or on paper. Log your progress even when you think it's unnecessary. This will keep you conscious about your progress.
Now, the rule is the following: the upper limit does not have to go down but must never go up. Lower it as you feel comfortable. There's no rush. Remember though, never raise it!
Whenever you start feeling comfortable with the upper limit, lower it. Don't spend more than 10 days with the same upper limit lest you lose focus on your goal.
As you start leaving behind smoking and other bad habits, something will be filling the void and you'd better choose consciously what you want to replace them with. Make sure to form beneficial habits so you won't have deal with them later. Any good habit you form enhances the overall quality of your life. First, it helps you get over a bad habit more easily. Also, it is a badge of achievement: once you've added a good habit to your toolbelt, you're more confident about your capabilities of improving even further!
In summary, below are the steps to getting rid of bad habits:
Charles Reader
In the previous post, keeping self-promises, I stressed the importance of self-discipline and how to build the habit of keeping promises. Self discipline is a self-reinforcing habit, which is the reason why it is crucial to start working on it first.
A habit is like a muscle; the more you train it, the more you'll be able to lift with it. It is also like a ship; the more you dig holes in it, the more it will sink. An easy way to work on a habit, just like with self discipline, is to gradually form it.
For instance, if you would like to quit smoking (or in other terms, form the habit of not smoking), you should start by assessing your current situation:
- How many cigarettes (or packs) on average do you smoke per day?
- What is the maximum number of cigarettes you would smoke in the most stressful day possible?
Let's assume you smoke a pack a day and would smoke two if your life were in the gutter. Make two packs, or 40 cigarettes, your upper limit. If you're not comfortable with it as your upper limit, you need to set a limit that you're convinced you won't exceed.
Next, you need to measure and keep track of the number of cigarettes you're smoking, even if you're sure you will not cross the upper limit. Write down the number of cigarettes you smoke in a spreadsheet or on paper. Log your progress even when you think it's unnecessary. This will keep you conscious about your progress.
Now, the rule is the following: the upper limit does not have to go down but must never go up. Lower it as you feel comfortable. There's no rush. Remember though, never raise it!
Whenever you start feeling comfortable with the upper limit, lower it. Don't spend more than 10 days with the same upper limit lest you lose focus on your goal.
As you start leaving behind smoking and other bad habits, something will be filling the void and you'd better choose consciously what you want to replace them with. Make sure to form beneficial habits so you won't have deal with them later. Any good habit you form enhances the overall quality of your life. First, it helps you get over a bad habit more easily. Also, it is a badge of achievement: once you've added a good habit to your toolbelt, you're more confident about your capabilities of improving even further!
In summary, below are the steps to getting rid of bad habits:
- Identify a bad habit in your life and decide you want to get rid of it.
- Observe and assess the habit and its patterns.
- Identify the upper limit.
- Lower the upper limit as you feel comfortable.
- Do not keep the same upper limit for too long.
- Write down and monitor your progress.
- As you're getting rid of a bad habit, replace with a beneficial one.
- Repeat with other bad habits!
