One of the most important things I have learned during my journey of self-improvement is that motivation comes and goes. That is why it is important to build good habits to set yourself up for success. Building consistent habits is not easy and it may be even harder to eradicate your bad habits. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I will explain to you how habits are formed/broken and give you some tips on how to build good habits!
One of the most important things I have learned during my journey of self-improvement is that motivation comes and goes. That is why it is important to build good habits to set yourself up for success. Building consistent habits is not easy and it may be even harder to eradicate your bad habits. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I will explain to you how habits are formed/broken and give you some tips on how to build good habits!
What are habits?
Habits are behaviors that we perform routinely almost without thought. Some habits are unconscious and we perform them automatically. Other habits are inherently good or bad and we have to work to maintain or eradicate them. Habits may seem small but the accumulation of these behaviors over time shapes who we are as people. Do you have a habit of exercising or staying up late? Do you meal prep on Sundays or settle for the gas station pizza? Do you take time to read every night or do you scroll on your phone? Of course, not all habits are inherently good or bad, but some habits can make a huge impact(for better or worse) on your productivity and happiness. It takes about 21 days for someone to form a new habit(depending on the habit and the person) and 66 days for that habit to become automatic to them. Bad habits can be difficult to break and some take a long time to get rid of. I believe that the habits you develop are what put you on the path to success. If you can have the disciple to build good habits and get rid of bad habits, you will achieve greatly.
Getting rid of bad habits
One of the best ways to break a bad habit is to replace it with a new one. When we have developed a habit, our brain creates a neurological pathway for the behavior. If you attempt to rid yourself of that pathway and there is no substitute, you will likely return to your old ways. Most of the time, we develop bad habits due to stress, boredom, or pleasure. When we engage in our habits, they make us feel better. Unfortunately, some of these habits are hurtful and can only result in us needing to rely on them even more. This is why we need to replace them why something healthy. For example, lets say you smoke cigarettes and wish to quit. It will be very hard for you to just quit cold turkey. But maybe, instead of going for that lunch break cigarette you could chew a stick of gum. After doing this for a while, you could start chewing gum anytime you get the urge to smoke. You may not be perfect every time but this is a step in the right direction! It is also important to have support when you are attempting to break a bad habit. If you put yourself in a good environment with supportive people, you will be less likely to relapse back to your old ways.
Building new habits
The book Atomic Habits by James Clear is a great resource for learning about habits and includes many different ways of building new habits by using different methods, visuals, etc. One of the best things that I have learned from the book is to use a method called “habit stacking”. This is a very effective way to develop a habit and it has been working great for me so far! You simply take the habit you wish to develop and partner it with a habit you have already developed. For example, if you wish to start journaling, you could partner that habit with brushing your teeth. You know that you will brush your teeth every night. So, if you place your journal next to your tooth brush, you will be more likely to journal. Of course, you could just ignore the journal when you go to brush your teeth but by exposing yourself to the habit, you are giving yourself a choice to act upon it. If you can start doing this, you will set a standard for yourself and it will make building habits much easier! There are many other ways to build habits but this is one that I find particularly effective. To learn more, go check out Atomic Habits!
If you can get into a routine with many healthy habits, you will see your life start to change. Your productivity, attitude, and overall well-being will improve!
NolanMeyerFitness 