Posted on 29 April 2008 by admin
Zero tolerance: It’s the only way to break a bad habit. So don’t indulge – scratch that itch mentally. Here’s how.
#1 – Wear a Rubber Band
When you feel a craving coming on, snap your wrist three times quickly. Scientists and torturers call this negative reinforcement: Craving equals pain. It’s akin to smacking yourself on the nose with a newspaper.
#2 – Pour Yourself a Glass of Cure
When it comes to nervous habits, water is your secret weapon. When you feel a craving coming on, chug at least 10 ounces. It’s amazing how well this works.
#3 – Switch Sides of the Bed
If you’re a consistent habit former, you should overhaul your routines – what time you wake up, what you eat for breakfast, what route you take to work, and so on – every 3 months.
Source: Men’s Health magazine, May 2008
Posted on 11 April 2008 by admin
From ZenHabits:
I’ve learned a lot about changing habits in the last 2 1/2 years, from quitting smoking to taking up running and GTD and vegetarianism and waking early and all that. I could go on, of course, but you get the picture.
I’ve not only learned a lot about what you should do when changing habits, but through my failures, I’ve learned about what not to do.
And trust me, I’ve had lots of failures.
I’ve found failures to be just as important as successes when trying to learn how to improve, especially when it comes to changing habits. It’s not an easy task, and I’m sure every one of us has tried to quit something and failed, or tried to do something positive and failed. The key, of course, is to not just give up after failure, but to reset your resolve, to analyze what went wrong and why, and to plan to overcome those obstacles the next time.
I’ve done that, with one failure after another, and would like to share a few things I’ve learned to avoid when trying to change a habit.
See the List
