4 Techniques I Use To Optimize Habits
**This is a revision of a post from July 22nd**
A person’s character is comprised mainly of two things: the thoughts they have, and the things they do. I recently wrote about how important it is to gain control of your thoughts – certainly a good first step, but it takes action to see positive change.
Behavior determines character, but habits are the foundation of behavior. According to Tony Robbins, “It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” Every choice you make either contributes or detracts from individual growth.
As a result of a recent surge to overhaul various personal and professional habits of my own, through trial and error I have become more knowledgable about how to effectively enact a change in behavior. Using what I’ve learned from my experiences, I compiled the key techniques I use to optimize habits and consistent behaviors across various aspects of my life:
Diagnose the triggers of each bad habit
Identifying the cues that influence engagement in negative behaviors is the first step towards breaking down harmful routines. Once you understand what your various triggers are, look for ways to change your environment. Elliot Berkman, Director of Oregon’s Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, posits that “you’re most likely to relapse in the context of when you’ve done [the bad habit] before.”
If you want to stop eating junk food, rid your house of it. If you only smoke when you drink, stop going to the liquor store or bar after work. If you gossip at work, avoid the breakroom.
I work in a group home, which for the uninclined means there is a lot of down-time. Rather than doing something productive with my time during those moments, I was mindlessly scrolling on my phone. Using this method of diagnosing cues, I realized that the trigger for the habit I’d formed was my phone – so I changed my environment by shutting my phone off and putting it in another room. I now fill that time by reading, writing, or working on other productive projects that are more in line with my personal and professional goals.
Put this into practice. The next time you catch yourself slipping up, stop and take a moment to think backward – if you can identify what exactly is triggering each bad habit, positive change is designed to follow.
Replace the habit with a healthy alternative
Realistically, even when you successfully determine the root cause of a bad habit, it’s near impossible to eliminate it entirely – in fact, it can be counterproductive to even try.
A 2010 study published in Psychological Science examined the effects of suppressing thoughts and compulsions of a group of smokers, and found that “participants in the group that suppressed thoughts about smoking smoked more cigarettes the following week than participants in the other groups.”
You don’t have to ignore your cravings; instead, replace negative behaviors with healthy alternatives. Not only are you staying on track with abstaining from a bad habit, but you are actually developing a healthy pattern in its place.
If you love coffee but struggle with the caffeine, switch everything to decaf. For smokers, common alternatives are patches, e-cigs, and other forms of smokeless tobacco. Rewiring your daily routine is a really difficult challenge – it’s okay to tackle it one step at a time.
Keep track of your progress
When working to break habits, you get out of it what you put into it. The more work you do in creating a detailed plan for success, the more likely you are to develop a healthy routine. Ask your friends to hold you accountable and check in periodically. Put prompts out all over your house or office as helpful reminders – use your former-self as a resource!
One method I use to outsource some responsibility is using a reliable digital tool to keep track of your progress. I currently enjoy Strides: Goal and Habit Tracker, but find the program – or physical tool(s) – that works for you and use it to follow your progress. For extra inspiration, set up a rewards/penalty system to motivate you even more. If you are intentional about checking-in with yourself every day, positive results are much more likely to follow.
Prepare for failure
You will mess up. Be kind to yourself! Take the energy that comes from feeling disappointed or that you let yourself down and turn it into something positive. Use it as motivation for not making the same mistake in the future. Henry Fonda said, “failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, and this time more intelligently.” Don’t get complacent with failure, but it’s crucial to not give up at the first setback – just keep working. It takes a long time to develop bad habits; therefore it takes a long time to transform them. Stay positive and stay focused – if you can do those things, you can manifest positive change.
These skills are applicable regardless of the magnitude of the habit that needs rehabilitation. It doesn’t matter whether you want to change your life by giving up smoking or drinking, or you simply want to cut out fast food. With a structured mindset and a detailed plan of attack, every habit can be reformed to foster individual growth.
