Things You'll Need:
- A Firm Commitment
- Persistence
-
Step 1
Work on Breaking Only One Habit at a Time. You can more readily break your worst habits if you work on breaking just one habit at a time. It takes a lot of preparation and focus to break a habit so focus on tackling just one until it is completely extinguished. Ideally, you would choose the very worst habit you have (such as smoking) as your top priority.
-
Step 2
Identify the Reasons Why You Want or Need to Break the Habit. Motivation is a critical factor if you want to break your worst habits efficiently. Think about all the reasons you should break your worst habit. Write them down in a journal or a notebook. Elaborate on those reasons that are most meaningful to you, such as better health, saving money, improved self esteem, etc. Keep mentally focused on these reasons as you prepare your action plan for breaking the habit.
-
Step 3
Develop an Action Plan for Breaking the Habit. Create an action plan with specific steps, do's and don'ts to guide your efforts to break your worst habits, focusing on the highest priority one. An example of an action plan is shown below.
• Every day review the reasons for breaking your worst habit.
• Pick a "stop date."
• Publicly commit to your stop date.
• Don't stop trying if you slip a few times; keep on with your program.
• Every night count the cumulative money saved, and review the main benefits of stopping.
• Daily, put aside any money saved from stopping your worst habit; put that amount of money in a jar or bank.
• Each week total the amount of money saved and deposit it in an interest-bearing savings account.
• Each week review your progress with family and friends. -
Step 4
Allow Sufficient Time to Break the Habit. Follow your action plan for at least three months in order to break your worst habits. Some authors say that habit formation or breaking takes only 21 days, but recent research has shown that the average time is 66 days. So allow at least three months to be sure.
-
Step 5
Enlist the Support of Others. Some people are able to break their worst habits all by themselves. But the evidence shows that higher success rates result when you have support from other people. Get your family, friends and co-workers involved in your program, at least from the standpoint of moral support and encouragement. This support will help keep you on track. If you can recruit others with the same bad habits to join your program, you will increase your chance of success.
-
Step 6
Implement Your Program to Break the Habit. Now that you have created your plan, have allowed sufficient time, and obtained the support of others, you are ready to go for it. So implement your program with confidence that you will break your worst habits and stay positive!
-
Step 7
Celebrate Your Success! After three months of avoiding the habit you targeted you can pronounce your effort successful. You have serious reasons to celebrate once you have learned to break your worst habits.
