Break your bad habits before they break you

Isn't it frustrating how easily bad habits can get in the way of our goals?

Whether it's hitting snooze too many times or mindlessly scrolling on social media, these habits really slow down the progress of our growth.

Bad habits can (and will) destroy your dreams.

Which is exactly why today I’m covering how to tackle these habits head-on!

Here’s the 6-step process I’ve learned for breaking bad habits:

Step 1: Identify Your Habit Loop

Every bad habit starts with a trigger - a specific situation or emotion that kickstarts the habit.

Then comes the routine, the habit itself, and finally the reward, the reason you keep doing it.

Understanding these components is crucial. Start by noting when your habit occurs, what happened before it, and how you feel afterward.

Step 2: Small Changes, Big Impact

Don't aim to overhaul your life overnight.

Small 1% improvements over a long period of time is much more sustainable. 

If your habit is procrastination, begin by breaking tasks into smaller chunks.

If it's overeating, start by swapping out sugary sweets with healthier snacks.

Step 3: Curate a positive enviroment

Your environment needs to be set up for success.

If you procrastinate when trying to work, put your phone in airplane mode and throw it in another room. You’d be surprised at how much just removing it from your vision helps.

The same is true for any bad habits. If you want to quit smoking, don’t buy cigarettes. And certainly don’t have them sitting in front of you, or watch Peaky Blinders on Netflix lol.

Step 4: Visualize Success

Imagine a day without your bad habits. How does it feel? What does it look like?

Visualization is a powerful tool. It not only motivates but also helps solidify your commitment to change.

This helps you make the change needed at an identity level rather than just changing your behaviour.

Step 5: Track Your Progress 

Documenting your journey is incredibly motivating.

Use a physical calendar, journal, or Notion to track your progress for each.

A visual representation of your progress can be a great source of encouragement and a reminder of how far you've come.

Step 6: Reward Yourself 

Set milestones and reward yourself when you reach them.

If you've managed a week without your bad habit, treat yourself to something you enjoy doing.

And no you can’t use your bad habit as the reward. These rewards shouldn't counteract your progress but rather solidify your progress. They need to reinforce positive behavior and make the journey more enjoyable.

Remember, breaking habits will take time. Day by day what you do is who you become. It requires patience and a whole lot of discipline.

But it’s definitely worth the effort.

If you want to dive deeper into habits then check out this blog post by James Clear and also read his book Atomic Habits if you have not yet.

Anyhow, that’s it for this week, hope you found this valuable.

Talk soon
Chris

P.S. I’ve been in Thailand for the past few weeks to get some focused work done which have led me to create what I think is my best Notion dashboard ever…

I don’t want to give away too much right now… but if breaking bad habits or implementing new ones is something you struggle with, then you may want to keep your eyes peeled for next week…

For now tho - feel free to grab my free habit tracker template and start using Notion to track your habits if you aren’t already.