Success Made Simple: Break Habits Easily

Dear Sweet Friends,

Habits can shape our lives by either empowering us to reach our goals or it can hinder our progress. Often we receive a lot of advice on creating good habits, that can range from daily meditating, early morning wake ups, or drinking more water. However, to make room for these new habits, we must break the ones that do not serve us. Breaking habits can be challenging, but it is not impossible to break habits easily with the right approach and mindset.

Breaking habits may seem daunting, but can be an achievable with the right strategies. By recognizing the power of habits, setting clear goals, identifying triggers, creating a supportive environment, using positive reinforcement, and practicing mindfulness, you can pave the way to success.

In this blog post, we will explore these simple steps to breaking habits that no longer serve you. Understanding the mechanism behind habits and implementing effective strategies to break habits are necessary to create lasting change. I will use a personal habit I’m trying to break as an example of how I am implementing these simple steps.

Let’s embark on this journey together and discover how to make breaking habits an achievable and rewarding experience through these simple steps

Step 1: Unmasking Habit’s Hidden Power

Habits are deeply ingrained patterns of behavior reinforced over time. They are formed through repetition and are often triggered by specific cues or environments. By recognizing the impact of habits on your life, you can take control and make a conscious decision to change. The first step in breaking any habit is to identify it. What are you doing that you want to change? Is it smoking, overeating, procrastinating, or something else? Once you have identified your habit, you can start to understand why you are doing it and what triggers it. This will enable you to then acknowledge its power over you.

What I’m doing: 

One of my personal habits I am trying to break is is scrolling through social media or watching YouTube before bed. I’ve convinced myself that it helps me fall asleep, but if I reflect on my week, I don’t consistently fall asleep quickly, and consuming media right before bed may be the culprit.

Step 2: Decoding the Habit Loop

Breaking habits requires an understanding of the habit loop. The habit loop consists of three parts: the cue, the routine, and the reward. The cue serves as the initiator for the habit, the routine represents the actual behavior, and the reward acts as the beneficial result that strengthens the habit. Understanding this loop allows you to break the habit by changing one of these three elements.

For instance, if you reach for unhealthy snacks when stressed, the cue is stress, the routine is reaching for an unhealthy snack and the reward is the taste of a sugary or salty treat. The goal would be to change one of these elements. For example you can change the routine by replacing the unhealthy snack with a quick walk or practice deep breathing exercises. By addressing the elements, you can weaken the habit loop.

What I’m doing: 

My cue for scrolling social media is working late into the evening. As a result, after a long day of work, I choose consuming media as the relaxing activity. Since I am already on my device, it is easy to open up any media platform. My reward in the moment is that I feel relaxed. So my plan is change the cue by avoiding working late into the evening.

Step 3: Break Habits Easily with Laser-Focused Goals

To effectively break a habit, setting clear and specific goals is essential. Vague aspirations like “I want to eat healthier” won’t provide the necessary direction and motivation. Instead, define your goals with precision. For example, “I will replace sugary drinks with water for every meal for the next month.” Having specific targets makes it easier to measure progress and stay motivated.

What I’m doing:

In my case to stop social media scrolling prior to bed, my specific goal will be to turn off all devices at least 30 minutes before bed for the next month.

Step 4: Create a replacement habit

In this step you will find a habit to replace your old habit. For example, if your habit is eating unhealthy snacks when stressed you can replace this with listening to music or reading a book. The key is forming a new habit to help manage the cue especially if the cue is something you can’t always avoid.

What I’m doing: 

My replacement habit will be to read a book before bed; this will require me to set the alarm to let me know to shut down all devices by a specific time and then have a book ready on my nightstand.

Step 5: Small Beginnings, Great Achievements

Breaking a habit can be overwhelming, so starting small is essential. Instead of trying to change everything at once, focus on making one small change at a time. For example, if you want to start exercising more, start by going for a 10-minute walk each day and gradually increase the time and intensity of your workout.

What I’m doing: 

My small start is to stop all media consumption 30 minutes before bed with the hopes that I will extend this time in the future.

Step 6: Escape the Triggers

Identify the triggers that cause you to engage in your habit and do your best to avoid them. For example, if you always have unhealthy snacks when you are bored or stressed, you may have to avoid buying them so you don’t have access to them.

What I’m doing: 

For me, as stated above, my trigger is working late, so I will have to set either a time to end work earlier or take more breaks before finishing work so that I don’t feel I need a reward at the end of the day.

Step 7: Tap into Collective Strength

Breaking a habit becomes much easier when you have a supportive environment. Surround yourself with people who encourage your efforts and share similar goals. Tell them about your commitment, so they can support you and hold you accountable. Additionally, change your physical environment to align with your desired habits. For instance, place your running shoes by the front door to remind yourself to exercise or keep your phone far away so you would have to get up in the morning to get it to avoid social media scrolling in the morning. A supportive environment will reinforce your new behaviors and make it easier to stay on track.

What I’m doing: 

I plan to have my sister as an accountability partner by informing her of my specific goal and letting her know when I should be off all my devices. She can be someone who reminds me or checks in to make sure I am staying consistent.

Step 8: Cheers to Accomplishments

Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool for breaking habits. Reward yourself for small victories along the way to keep your motivation high. Celebrate each milestone, no matter how small, and acknowledge your progress. Treat yourself to something you enjoy or engage in activities that bring you happiness. By associating positive experiences with your new habits, you’re more likely to stick with them.

What I’m doing: 

Instead of waiting until the end of 30 days, I will plan a small celebration of buying myself a nice meal each week, that I stay consistent with breaking my habit.

Step 9: Harness Patience, Embrace Self-Reflection: 

Breaking a habit takes time and effort, so it’s essential to be patient with yourself. Take the time to understand the thoughts, emotions, and circumstances that contribute to your habit. Cultivate self-awareness to recognize the moments when you are most vulnerable to falling back into old patterns. Mindfulness practices such as meditation or journaling can help you become more attuned to your inner experiences, allowing you to respond consciously instead of reactively.

What I’m doing:

I like journaling and plan to use this form of self-reflection to keep consistent and accountable. To avoid monotony, I will make the process creative by using different styles of journaling.

Last Sweet Words

Remember that change takes time, patience, and perseverance. Don’t be discouraged by setbacks; view them as learning opportunities and stepping stones toward your desired outcome. Embrace the journey of breaking habits, and you’ll emerge stronger, empowered, and in control of your life.

Have a wonderful day!

Sweet Lyfe Daily

Let us know in the Comments, how do you plan to break old habits?