“If you don't want to slip, don't go where it's slippery.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS MAXIM
You get full of motivation to quit your bad habits and feel confident that you’re reach success – but after some time your towering motivation crumbles – compelling you to back off.
Your mistake?
You choose to rely only on your motivation and willpower.
The problem in this approach is that our motivation rises and falls. The moment we feel super-motivated, we’re able to go full-steam and do what we wish…but as that feeling drops we’re again back to that prison of bad habits.
The secret of quitting bad habits lies in clever techniques and bringing changes in the environment. See below how I got rid of my bad habits without much willpower but by changing the environment around and implement the advice on yourself.
1. The habit of waking up late
To change this habit, I bought a clock with the most hateful-sounding alarm. I used to place it far from me, at the height of 11/12 feet. When the alarm used to fill the morning silence with its nasty blare, I had to rush and climb up a chair to switch it off.
My mind used to rouse by the hateful alarm, getting out from the sweet sleeping mode. And when I had rushed and climbed up the chair to switch it off, I used to be active enough to snatch the fruitful morning moments to study and work. Now I’m habitual of waking early!
2. The habit of smoking
To quit smoking I started to buy one cigarette at a time instead of bringing the full packet of 10 or 20. Whenever I felt the urge to smoke, I had to get out of my room to walk to the shop to buy it. I started to delay smoking and sometimes didn’t even go to the shop because it was an effort for me.
Thus, several times I managed without smoking, and it made me realise that quitting smoking isn’t so difficult. Now without cigarettes I’m healthy and happy!
3. The habit of regularly checking Facebook
Amid deep work Facebook used to tempt me, killing my concentration. Resisting the evil urge luring me from a click away was too hard.
After failing to keep up the promise of checking Facebook once in a day, I started to take small steps. I started to resist the urge for 5 minutes. This small resistance rekindled the tiny embers of confidence, encouraging me to increase the resistance time.
I also used the Pomodoro Technique, which is setting aside small chunks of time for deep work and deciding to keep focusing on it until that time period is over. I started setting timer for 40 minutes, and decided that I’ll focus and give my complete concentration on my work during that time. If during those 40 minutes the urge of checking Facebook raised its head, I had to only tell it that the Pomodoro is on, and only a few minutes are left in it to get over. Now I don’t let Facebook interfere with my work!
4. The habit of regularly checking emails
Checking emails used to burn my time as fire burns wood. All my willpower had proved ineffective to quit this habit.
To tackle this, first I disabled the mail delivery from the mailing lists I was on, which cut the daily number of emails I received. I was thus prevented from getting into the enticing discussions and debates keep crackling there, which was a core cause for distraction.
Secondly, I used the Pomodoro Technique (which I also applied to get rid of Facebook addiction.) Now I’m not addicted to emails!
Back to you:
What’s the first bad habit you want to quit?
What tactics you’ll implement to quit it?
What fruitful changes quitting that bad habit will bring to your life?
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