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33 Ways To Break a Bad Habit According To These Bestselling Books

We are always looking for ways to break a bad habit! This blog post is all about the best tricks to break a bad habit.

break a bad habit

36 TECHNIQUES TO BREAK A BAD HABIT

break a bad habit

“CAN’T HURT ME” BY DAVID GOGGINS

In  a nutshell… 

A powerful memoir that focuses on mental toughness and resilience. 

  • Overcoming adversity
  • Mental toughness 
  • Self-discipline and hard work 
  • Self-discovery and personal growth
  • Breaking the bounds of comfort zones

Breaking a bad habit

1. Accountability Mirror

Face yourself in the mirror and have an honest conversation about your bad habits and areas needing improvement. This method promotes self-awareness and personal responsibility.

2. Setting Detailed Goals

Break down big goals into smaller, more manageable steps. This process helps in overcoming the overwhelming nature of bad habits by focusing on incremental progress and celebrating small victories.

3. Embracing Discomfort

Step out of your comfort zone and embrace discomfort as a way to grow and break bad habits. By regularly putting oneself in challenging situations, one can develop resilience and the mental strength to overcome ingrained habits.

break a bad habit

“ATOMIC HABITS” BY JAMES CLEAR

In  a nutshell… 

A guide focusing on the development of good habits and the elimination of bad ones.

  • Compound effect of small habits
  • Systems over goals
  • Identity-based habits 
  • Laws of behavior change 
  • Continuous improvement

Ways to break bad habits

4. Make It Invisible

Reduce exposure to the cues of your bad habits. If you’re trying to quit smoking, avoid places where you normally smoke. If you’re trying to eat healthier, don’t keep junk food in the house.

5. Make It Unattractive

Change how you think about the habit to make it seem less appealing. This can involve understanding the negative impacts of the habit and reframing your mindset to view abstaining from the habit as more beneficial.

6. Make It Difficult

Increase the effort required to perform the bad habit. For instance, if you’re trying to reduce screen time, keep your phone in another room, so it’s not easily accessible. Making a habit harder to do decreases its odds of being followed.

break a bad habit

“THE POWER OF NOW” BY ECKHART TOLLE

In  a nutshell… 

A spiritual self-help book focusing on mindfulness and personal growth.

  • Living in the present moment
  • Understanding and dissolving the ego
  • Mindfulness and consciousness 
  • Inner peace and spiritual awakening 
  • Acceptance and surrender 

How to break a bad habit

7. Awareness of the Habit

Acknowledge and observe the habit without judgment. The simple act of bringing awareness to our behaviors, and recognizing them as separate from our true selves, can diminish their power over us.

8. Stay Present

Many bad habits are attempts to escape the present or are triggered by anxiety about the past or future. By staying grounded in the ‘now,’ one can reduce the impulse to engage in these habits.

9. Acceptance

Instead of fighting or resisting the habit, practice accepting it as it is. This doesn’t mean giving in to the habit, but rather accepting its existence and understanding its triggers. From a place of acceptance, it becomes easier to let go of the habit gradually.

break a bad habit

“WINNING THE WAR IN YOUR MIND” BY CRAIG GROESCHEL

In  a nutshell… 

A book that focuses on transforming one’s life by altering thought patterns

  • The power of thought 
  • Replacing lies with truth 
  • Mind renewal 
  • Overcoming mental barriers 
  • Spiritual and biblical insights 

Tips on how to break a bad habit

10. Identify and Replace Lies with Truth

Recognize the false beliefs or lies that underpin the bad habit and actively replace them with truthful, positive affirmations. For example, if a bad habit is rooted in a belief of inadequacy, replace that thought with affirmations of your worth and capability.

11. Mindful Awareness

Be consciously aware of your thoughts and habits. By being mindful of our thought patterns and the triggers of our habits, we can gain the upper hand in changing them.

12. Seek Support and Accountability

This aligns with the idea that we are not meant to fight our battles alone, and having someone to encourage and hold us accountable can be incredibly effective in breaking bad habits.

break a bad habit

“THINK AGAIN” BY ADAM GRANT

In  a nutshell… 

A thought-provoking book about the importance of reevaluating one’s beliefs and staying open to new ideas.

  • Importance of rethinking
  • Intellectual humility
  • Dangers of entrenchment 
  • Psychological flexibility 
  • Art of persuasion and communication

Breaking bad habits

13. Reframe the Habit

Instead of viewing it as a part of our identity, we can see it as a separate, changeable behavior. This shift in perspective can make it easier to alter the habit.

14. Seek Contrary Evidence

Actively seek information and perspectives that contradict why you maintain the habit. This can help weaken the habit’s hold and open up new ways of thinking.

15. Experiment with New Behaviors

Experiment with different behaviors as a way to replace bad habits. By trying new approaches and being open to different outcomes, people can find more effective and healthier patterns to replace their old habits.

break a bad habit

“7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE” BY ADAM GRANT

In  a nutshell… 

A widely acclaimed book that provides a framework for personal effectiveness.

  • Proactivity and personal responsibility 
  • Beginning with the end in mind 
  • Prioritization and time management 
  • Win-win thinking 
  • Synergistic collaboration 

How to break a bad habit

16. Be Proactive

Take responsibility for your actions. Recognize that you have the choice to replace a bad habit with a better one, and take initiative to make the change.

17. Begin with the End in Mind

Envision the version of yourself you want to become. This visualization can provide motivation and a clear direction for the changes needed to break your bad habit.

18. Put First Things First

Prioritize activities that are important for your well-being and align with your values. This often means prioritizing actions that contribute to breaking your bad habit and setting aside lesser priorities.

break a bad habit

“THE MOUNTAIN IS YOU” BY BRIANNA WIEST

In  a nutshell… 

A book about overcoming internal obstacles and personal growth. 

  • Understanding self-sabotage 
  • Emotional intelligence and awareness 
  • Personal responsibility and growth 
  • Breaking negative patterns 
  • Empowerment and self-mastery

Breaking a bad habit

19. Identify Underlying Beliefs

Recognize and challenge the underlying beliefs that drive the bad habit. Often, bad habits are rooted in deeper emotional issues or limiting beliefs that need to be addressed for lasting change.

20. Practice Mindfulness

Develop a practice of mindfulness to become more aware of when and why you engage in the bad habit. This heightened awareness can help in catching yourself before falling into automatic patterns of behavior.

21. Create and Reinforce New Habits

Replace the bad habit with a positive one that serves a similar need or provides a similar reward. Consistency and reinforcement of these new habits are crucial for them to become ingrained and for the old habits to diminish.

break a bad habit

“12 RULES FOR LIFE” BY JORDAN B. PETERSON

In  a nutshell… 

This book presents a mixture of psychology, philosophy, and practical advice, structured around twelve rules for living a meaningful life. 

  • Personal responsibility 
  • The search for meaning 
  • Importance of order and structure 
  • Navigating suffering and chaos 
  • Individual development and growth

Techniques to break a bad habit

22. Start Small and Be Precise

Start with small, manageable goals when trying to break a bad habit. It is also important to be precise in defining the habit and to understand its triggers and consequences.

23. Assume Responsibility

Recognize that you have control over your actions and take responsibility for your habits. This means acknowledging the role you play in sustaining the habit and committing to making a change.

24. Treat Yourself As You Would Someone You Love

Pretend that a loved one is asking you how they can break a bad habit. What would you suggest them to do? Now, take that same advice and apply it to yourself. 

break a bad habit

“THE HIGH 5 HABIT” BY MEL ROBBINS

In  a nutshell… 

Focuses on a simple, yet powerful tool for self-empowerment and positive change. 

  • Self-encouragement and positivity 
  • Building self-confidence 
  • Cultivating a positive mindset 
  • Overcoming negative self-talk and beliefs 
  • Creating lasting behavioral change

How to get rid of bad habits

25. Start Your Day with Positivity

Face yourself in the mirror and have an honest conversation about your bad habits and areas needing improvement. This method promotes self-awareness and personal responsibility.

26. Celebrate Small Wins

Acknowledge and celebrate small victories and progress each day. This reinforcement of positive behavior can help in gradually replacing bad habits with better ones.

27. Cultivate Self-Compassion

Practice self-compassion and understanding, especially when facing setbacks in breaking a bad habit. Being kind to yourself, rather than self-critical, is crucial in fostering lasting change and personal growth.

break a bad habit

“THE COMFORT CRISIS” BY MICHAEL EASTER

In  a nutshell… 

A book that explores the idea that modern comforts and conveniences have led to various physical and mental health issues.

  • Embracing discomfort 
  • Reconnecting with nature 
  • Physical and mental resilience 
  • Simplicity and minimalism 
  • Personal growth and self-discovery

How to stop bad habits

28. Embrace Discomfort

Actively seek out situations that challenge you and are outside your comfort zone. Breaking a bad habit often requires enduring some discomfort, and getting used to this can make the process more manageable.

29. Reconnect with Nature

Spend time in natural settings away from modern conveniences. This can help break the cycle of dependency on comfort-inducing habits, providing a fresh perspective and strengthening mental resolve.

30. Simplify Your Environment

Reduce reliance on technology and other modern conveniences. A simpler environment can reduce distractions and temptations, making it easier to focus on breaking the habit and building healthier routines.

break a bad habit

“THE POWER OF HABIT” BY CHARLES DUHIGG

In  a nutshell… 

Explores the science behind why habits exist and how they can be changed. 

  • The “Habit Loop”
  • Change through understanding habits 
  • Automaticity of habits 
  • Habits and Identity 
  • Habits in organizations and societies 

Tips and tricks to break a habit

31. Identify the Components of the Habit Loop

Recognize the cue, routine, and reward of the bad habit. Understanding what triggers the habit and what reward is obtained from it is crucial in devising strategies to change it.

32. Change the Routine

Once the habit loop is identified, focus on changing just the routine while keeping the cue and reward the same. For example, if stress (cue) leads to snacking (routine) for comfort (reward), replace snacking with a healthier behavior like a short walk or meditation.

33. Believe in Change

It is important to believe in the process of changing a habit. Often, change requires a belief that it’s possible, sometimes bolstered by support from groups or individuals who have successfully made similar changes.

This blog post was all about the ways to break a bad habit.

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