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.From Charles Duhigg’s excellent book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business:
One paper published by a Duke University researcher in 2006 found that more than 40 percent of the actions people performed each day weren’t actual decisions, but habits. Yeah, you spend almost half the day on autopilot. And changing bad habits isn’t just “kinda nice.” If you want to be a success, studies show habits really do matter.
I – Word Understanding
Downright – something bad or unpleasant
Powerless – without ability
II – Have Your Say
A. Here are tips to quit bad habits
1. Change A Bad Habit. Singular.
2. Don’t Stop. Just Count.
3. Don’t Change You. Change Your World.
4. Chill, Dude.
5. Don’t Eliminate Bad Habits. Replace Them.
6. “If” and “Then”
7. Forgive Yourself.
Sum Up
B. Here’s how to get rid of those awful bad habits:
• 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.
