Have A Bad Habit? There’s A Simple Strategy To Change It
I couldn’t believe that all it took was a sticky note.
A mentor had pointed out a weakness of mine: I tend to talk really fast. This is a bad habit.
The fact I did this and it was a problem wasn’t much of a surprise. I knew I had this tendency. But the solution caught me off guard.
All he told me to do was use a sticky note and mark down each time I caught myself speaking fast each day. I didn’t have to do exercises or set a specific goal or anything. I just had to make myself aware of it.
And it worked. The first few days of doing this, I caught myself as many as 20 times. But after a couple weeks, I had gotten it down to three. Huge improvements came in a short period of time.
Why does this work?
The thing about habits is they are automatic. We do them without exerting any willpower or thought process. Our brain actually prefers habits because they lessen its workload. While studying for an exam or troubleshooting a problem at work require heavy focus and cognitive effort, a habit like brushing your teeth is effortless.
This is why bad habits are so hard to break. They are automatic to the point we barely realize they are happening.
So by doing something as simple as tracking it on a sticky note, you create awareness that actually makes the habit more difficult since your mind has to consciously watch for the behavior.
This goes beyond small things like speaking too fast. It can even help you lose weight.
In 2009, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health found a surprisingly simple way to get people to lose weight. They didn’t ask them to change their diets, join a gym, or start walking more each day. All they did was ask them to write down everything they ate at least one day a week.
It took some time for them to get used to the new assignment and not forget to complete their logs, but eventually they were able to complete their weekly recording. Then they started keeping a log more frequently. Then they began noticing bad eating habits they hadn’t even realized before and started replacing them with healthier options.
Six months into the study, those that kept a daily food log had lost twice as much weight as everyone else. All it took was awareness of what they were eating.
So, if you have a bad habit to change, here’s what to do:
Start tracking it any way you can. I recommend simply using a simple piece of paper like a sticky note and marking every time it occurs. For example, if you want to stop biting your nails, just put a hash mark down every time you catch yourself doing it.
You can also use a log to track specifics like the participants in the weight loss study. You could track how you’re spending your time each hour to find out where all that time goes each day.
Just make yourself aware of what your doing. Then, you can consciously make the right choice.
