Everyone is flawed; we all have that one bad habit that we want to get rid of. Whether that’s spending hours on your phone, procrastinating on assignments, or multitasking, bad habits can be really difficult to get rid of. Luckily, I’ve got a couple of tips & tricks you can use to get rid of bad habits easily!
- Idolise stopping the habit
- Replace the habit
- Change your environment
- Track your progress
Idolise stopping the habit
In order to stop doing a habit, you need to idolise the version of yourself that doesn’t do the habit. It sounds convoluted, but let me give you an example. I used to spend hours and hours on Instagram. However, I have a friend who barely spends any time on social media, and I admire this about her. One day, I decided that there was nothing stopping me from being like her, so I decided to log out of my Instagram. The reason I was able to stay logged out was because I idolised the part of me that was like her – the part of me that didn’t use social media.
Essentially, what you have to do is think of yourself as the kind of person that doesn’t do that bad habit, and pride yourself on that. Think of yourself as the kind of person that does assignments as soon as they’re set, or as the kind of person that is super organised!
Replace the habit
It’s much easier to replace a habit than to get rid of it completely. To do this, try figure out why you do the bad habit in the first place – is it because you’re stressed, or bored? Once you’ve identified what causes your habit, try find a replacement to help you deal with your emotions. If you’re stressed, try replace your habit with meditation or journalling. Alternatively, if you’re bored, then you can replace your habit with something both fun and productive!
Change your environment
Changing your environment is one of the best ways to break a habit. You first have to work out what causes you to start a bad habit, then cut out the triggers that cause it! For example, if you want to spend less time on your phone, check when you use it. If you use it first thing in the morning, then don’t keep it in your bedroom. On the other hand, if you use your phone whenever you want to procrastinate, then turn on screentime limits on time-wasting apps!
Track your progress
It’s important to celebrate your achievements, and breaking a bad habit is no exception! Try using a habit tracker, and mark the days when you successfully avoid doing the bad habit. Don’t worry if you miss days, since nobody is perfect 100% of the time. You can also tell a friend about your goal, so that you have some sense of accountability to motivate you!
