How to Break a Bad Habit

A little while ago, I realized I was getting into a pretty deep rut that was going to turn into a bad habit if I didn’t do something about it.

It was toward the beginning of the COVID-19 situation. Appointments were being canceled, gyms were being closed, and I found that I was starting to spend a little too much time in front of the TV using streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

Honestly, I was surprised at how fast it happened.

I think it became easy for a LOT of us to start sliding into not-so-productive behaviors then. I’m just grateful I realized it before it got out of hand!

Fact: Getting out of that rut was a LOT harder than I expected it to be, and I knew I had to get strategic and tactical about it.

Everything that was going on in my life at that point supported staying in the rut and doubling down … I’m talking about stress, extra time on my hands, you name it!

Here’s what I did to kick it:

I knew I had to make a radical change to remove the temptation.

For me, that meant shaking up my routine by getting really busy with something else, so there was no time or energy to get seduced back into my rut.

That meant I had to remind myself of my goals and priorities, even with all the uncertainty surrounding access to gyms. (Obviously a HUGE concern for me and my business!) I knew my clients were concerned, too, and I knew I had to help them in whatever way I could. It actually became a beautiful reminder of why I do what I do — because I love helping people feel better about themselves. I went all in on figuring out how I could continue helping people this way without access to gyms and in compliance with social distancing guidelines! 

Plus, I had something to show for it!  (Check out what I came up with and try it out for free by clicking here!)

In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes that one of the best ways to break a habit is to reduce exposure to temptations — removing anything that prompts you to do it.

Then, once those cues are gone, you can reframe your mindset by looking at the benefits of not doing the action. For me, that meant substituting other things that gave me tangible results.

It’s a pretty irresistible combo!

Just some food for thought, especially if you have picked up a habit or two over the past few months that you’d like to kick.