Let’s define habits. Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day.
What you repeatedly do (i.e. what you spend time thinking about and doing each day) ultimately forms the person you are, the things you believe, and the personality that you portray.
Today we’re going to talk about breaking bad habits and developing new habits.
But the main thing I want you to remember is that you keep it small AND focus on progress not perfection.
I think the thing that keeps people from change is that they focus too much on perfection and one little slip up makes them just quit rather than learn from the slip up and keep moving forward.
Breaking bad habits
James Clear who wrote Atomic Habits is one of my favorite habit gurus. I highly recommend his book and a lot of this info comes straight from it.
What causes bad habits?
stress & boredom
You don't eliminate a bad habit, you replace it.
How to replace a bad habits
step 1 AWARENESS
Choose a substitute for your bad habit.
Cut out as many triggers as possible.
Join forces with somebody.
Surround yourself with people who live the way you want to live.
Visualize yourself succeeding.
Use the word “but” to overcome negative self–talk.
Plan for failure.
How to build a new habit
start very small
make it so easy you can’t say no
increase your habit in very small ways
break habit up into smaller chunks
when you slip, get back on track quickly
be patient and stick with a pace you can sustain
HOW TO MAKE THEM STICK
cue
craving
response
reward
the cue triggers a craving, which motivates a response, which provides a reward, which satisfies the craving and, ultimately, becomes associated with the cue.
All behavior is driven by the desire to solve a problem.
Examples
CUE
your phone buzzes with a new text message
CRAVING
you want to laern the contents of hte message
RESPONSE
you grab your phone to read the text
REWARD
you satisfy the craving to read the message. Grabbing your phone becomes associated with your phone buzzing
CUE
you are answering emails
CRAVING
you begin to feel overwhelmed by work. you want to feel in control.
RESPONSE
you bite your nails
REWARD
you satisfy your craving to reduce stress. biting your nails becomes associated with answering emails
CUE
you hit a stumbling block on a project
CRAVING
you feel stuck and want to relieve your frustration
RESPONSE
you pull out your phone and check social media
RESWARD
you satisfy your craving to relieve frustration. checking social media is now associated with feeling stuck with work
Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-James-Clear-audiobook/dp/B07RFSSYBH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GWKNH91VPKNI&keywords=atomic+habits&qid=1636136264&sprefix=atomic+habit%2Caps%2C313&sr=8-1
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