Untangling bad habits, one knot at a time…

All habits have 3 underlying elements – trigger (or cue/prompt), behavior, and reward.

If you want to break a bad habit, the easiest place to start is with the trigger.

Dr. BJ Fogg, Behavior Scientist recommends thinking of bad habits in terms of “untangling” them.

This reflects well the need for skill, patience, and a systematic approach rather than brute will.

My favorite approach to untangling a bad habit is to always start at the foundation:

• Sleep, food (maintaining consistent meal times), water.

Starving on any of these sets us up for bad habits. These are the low-hanging problems to troubleshoot.

• Next is to add a few positive habits. A key habit being that of meditation.

A few minutes a day is a great place to start. A simple yet effective method to drop a bad habit is to increase our awareness. By being mindful about the behavior and the reward.

• Only then, are we ready to tackle the bad habit.

Our environment is full of triggers and this is a good place to identify what triggers our bad habits.

The app icons on your phone's home screen act as constant triggers for you.

A simple act of choosing which app to keep on the home screen can influence behavior significantly.

Clear out everything from your environment that triggers an unwanted behavior and add things that are positive triggers. For example, get rid of all the cookies, sweets from your home and replace them with healthier substitutes say fruits, dates, nuts.