3 Big Ways To Break Bad Habits NOW

Bad habits are everywhere. Show me the person with no bad habits and I’ll show you a liar. We oversleep, eat too much junk food, bite our nails, and spend money we don’t have. And that’s to name just a few. There’s little doubt that we’ve all broken bad habits over the years too. And that’s encouraging. Bad habits can sometimes be no big deal, and almost part of our personality. But, at other times, they can be hugely problematic. Take being late for example. Not good. Being late can get you fired. Being late make you lose tremendous opportunities, or miss making a good impression.

Bad habits can keep us from being who we want to be, and hold us back from significant achievements. Of course there are relational ramifications as well. Breaking bad habits requires many things, but the largest by far is commitment. Commitment becomes reality by reinforcement. Reinforcing good behavior implies acting your commitment out. When we take charge of taking bad habits and turning them into good habits, amazing things happen.

You have to take ownership of eliminating bad habits, and it’s never a one-size fits all, but here are three critical steps to making the change:

1. Analyze the cost (and the upside) – Taking an intrinsic look inside the given bad habit’s cost to your lifestyle or achievement is crucial. What is your vice costing you? If you hit snooze for 45 minutes longer (I may or may not do this), then the cost is the loss of a fresh start, and 45 minutes of productive time each morning. Analyzing the cost provides a good starting point, and inversely, gives us a view at potential upside at the same time.
2. Make a plan – Too many of us set out for change, and then make no attack plan to do so…and fail. Changes don’t just “happen”, they need to be decided and acted on. What is your game plan? Snooze too long? Little things like keeping your phone or alarm clock across the room will help get you up at the right time. Or, try starting with a list of what you want to accomplish each morning. These are just minor examples, but a plan gets us started!
3. Commit – This step is a tricky one. If you don’t treat the first two steps seriously, this commitment will immediately fail. Same reason New Year’s Resolutions are ridiculous. Because no one really cares all that much about them to begin with. Make small commitments and build on them. Commit to one week of your new behavior, then two, and then the first month, and you’re well on your way.

So, what impact are your bad habits having on you? What are you going to do about it?