How to break bad habits book
We all have bad habits to some extent. Sleeping late at night, waking up late in the morning, bad eating habits, wasting excessive time on social media, etc. Bad habits stop the pace of our lives. Many have tried to break such bad habits, and many have failed. Breaking bad habits does not depend only on willpower; there is a scientific method behind it. How to Break Bad Habits Book Many authors have written books. By reading such books, you will not only be able to recognize bad habits, but also be able to say goodbye to them in your life forever.
Today, we will explore the works of famous authors, which can help you easily overcome bad habits. The way they write will change your lifestyle. By reading these books, you can make small changes and be successful in life.
Why do bad habits affect our lives?
The effect of bad habits is profound and multifaceted. Some of the main reasons for this are given below:
Mental health: Bad habits destroy our mental peace. For example, the habit of sleeping late at night causes lack of sleep, which makes the mind irritable and increases stress. The habit of putting off work gives rise to anxiety and depression.
Waste of time and opportunities: Bad habits waste our valuable time. Spending too much time on social media, doing things that should not be done—these distract us from important tasks. As a result, our productivity decreases and opportunities are wasted.
Social relationships: Some bad habits hurt our social relationships. For example, lying, mistreating others, or not keeping our promises—these destroy trust between people.
Low self-confidence: Not being able to break bad habits reduces our self-confidence. When we lose control over ourselves, we feel unable to manage our lives properly, which hurts our self-esteem.
Scientific Ways to Break Bad Habits
Habit Loop
The most important thing to break bad habits is this. This is the fundamental aspect, and for this, you need to pay attention to three things separately.
Signal: This is the thing that induces your bad habit the most. Suppose you are sitting in the office, thinking that after finishing work today, you will go home, sit on the sofa, and start watching TV.
Routine: This is the action you do. For example, you sit on the sofa and watch TV.
Reward: This is the feeling you get after doing the routine. For example, you feel relieved or comfortable after coming home from the office and watching TV.
To break a bad habit, you first need to identify this cycle. You need to change your routine by keeping your signal and reward in place. You will come home and read a book instead of watching TV, or go for a 15-minute walk outside.
Small changes
Try to make 0.1% changes every day instead of making significant changes overnight to break bad habits. Change your daily bad habits gradually.
Make it easy: Make your daily bad habits difficult. Avoid bringing your mobile to bed before going to bed at night.
Make it visible: Keep your small good habits visible in front of you. Keep a book in a place where you can easily see it. Write down good quotes or quotes from the book so that you can see them and get good encouragement from them.
Give rewards: Reward yourself after doing a new habit, this will keep your mind positive.
Change the environment
The environment around you influences you to form a habit well. If you are in an environment that is causing you to develop a bad habit, consider leaving it. If you have a habit of eating unhealthy food, then leave that habit. If necessary, do not bring unhealthy food home. If you want to exercise every morning, prepare your workout clothes and shoes the night before. This will save you time in the morning.
Following these scientific methods makes breaking bad habits much easier because you are using a powerful strategy rather than relying solely on your willpower. These techniques help you to guide your mind towards a new habit rather than fighting it.
Popular and practical books for breaking bad habits
1. Atomic Habits By James Clear
This book is currently one of the most popular and effective books on breaking bad habits and creating good habits.
Main message: This book discusses how small changes (Tiny Habits) can bring significant results. James Clear shows that just 1% improvement per day can get you tremendous success in the long run.
Effective method: He gave four simple rules:
Make it obvious: Make the habit visible.
Make it attractive: Make the habit attractive.
Make it easy: Make the habit easy.
Make it satisfying: Reward yourself after completing the habit.
Why it is popular: James Clear’s writing style is very straightforward, and each chapter is filled with real-life examples and practical tips.
2. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
This book discusses in depth the scientific process of habit formation.
Key message: Charles Duhigg introduces the concept of the Habit Loop. The three parts of this loop are: Cue, Routine, and Reward.
Effective method: For example, if the cue to smoke is stress and the reward is mental relief, you can find mental relief by walking or deep breathing instead of smoking.
Why it’s popular: The book offers numerous interesting case studies, examining not only individual habits but also how companies and societies evolve through these habits.
3. Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg
This book, written by a renowned behavioral researcher, encourages people to achieve significant success through small changes.
Key message: B.J. Fogg developed the ‘Tiny Habits’ method. According to him, you don’t need a lot of motivation to create a habit; you just need to make the habit small enough that it is very easy to do.
Effective Method: Its three basic steps are:
Prompt: Use a simple trigger.
Tiny Behavior: Choose a small task that only takes a few seconds to complete.
Celebration: Take a moment to congratulate yourself after completing the task.
Why it’s popular: This book is invaluable for individuals who set ambitious goals but repeatedly struggle to achieve them. It teaches that consistency is more important than motivation to succeed.
How to apply the book in practice
Start with small goals: Inspired by books, many people want to break all their bad habits at once. This leads to frustration. Instead, choose a specific habit—such as spending too much time on social media or eating junk food.
Identify the trigger for the habit: According to books, bad habits often start with a trigger. For example, many people smoke when stressed or repeatedly eat snacks while watching TV at night. List your triggers.
Replace, don’t eliminate: Trying to quit a bad habit directly is more likely to fail. Instead, replace it with a good habit. For example—
Eat fruit instead of chips.
Use a stress ball instead of biting your nails.
Read a book for 5 minutes instead of scrolling Facebook.
Give yourself small rewards when you form a new habit. For example, consider buying a favorite book or going out with friends after a week of avoiding junk food.
Create a support system: Get help from friends, family, or online communities. Sharing with someone increases motivation and creates a sense of responsibility.
Be patient: Bad habits are not created overnight, so they will not be broken overnight. So be patient and stick with it.
Mental Preparation for Breaking a Habit
1. Accept Failure and Forgive Yourself
Failure is a natural part of breaking a habit. You may have performed very well for a day or two, but on the third day, you relapsed into your old habits. Don’t get discouraged and forgive yourself for this. Remember, it’s a long process. View failure as a learning experience and start fresh the next day.
2. Understand deeply why you want to break a habit
Breaking a habit is difficult, and it’s even harder to develop a ‘good habit’. You need to understand the real reason behind it.
Do you want to be healthy?
Do you need to be more productive?
Do you want to improve your relationships?
3. Practice positive self-talk
Talk positively to yourself. Tell yourself, ‘I can break this habit’ or ‘I am getting better every day’. Whenever your mind tells you, ‘You can’t do it,’ change it to something positive. For example, ‘I failed today, but I will try again tomorrow’.
4. Enjoy small victories
The process of breaking a habit can be long. So celebrate small successes too. For example, if you don’t smoke for three days, give yourself a small reward. This will encourage your mind and motivate you to go further.
5. Imagine yourself as a new person
Imagine being the person who is free from this habit. What kind of life does he lead? What type of work does he do? This mental image will show you a powerful path to reach your goal.
Real-life example
Shafiq is a middle-aged man who smoked every day for about 10 years. His smoking habit started with hanging out with friends, and gradually it became an integral part of his life. He knew it was bad for his health, but he failed every time he tried. His lungs often hurt, and his body was getting weaker.
One day, Shafiq took a closer look at his smoking habits. He noticed that he usually smoked after lunch, during stressful times at work, and before going to bed at night. He identified three parts of the ‘Habit Loop’:
Cue: After a meal or stressful times.
Routine: Lighting a cigarette.
Reward: Emotional relief.
He realized that his paramount need was to reduce stress. So he decided to change his routine. He tried a new strategy:
Walk instead of smoking: After lunch, he would go for a 10-minute walk outside.
Slowly reducing: In the first week, he reduced the number of cigarettes he smoked each day.
Alternative: Whenever he had the urge to smoke, he would drink a glass of water or eat a carrot.
The first few weeks were tough. Shafiq would fail a few times and start smoking again. But he would forgive himself and try again the next day. He would tell himself, “I can break this habit.”
Gradually, Shafiq’s new routine began to settle in his brain. After a month, he realized that he had significantly reduced the number of cigarettes he smoked each day. After six months, he quit smoking altogether.
We can learn from Shafiq’s story:
Observe yourself: First, you need to understand why you are doing the bad habit.
Be patient: Change doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a process.
Start small: Small steps are essential for significant changes.
Be optimistic: Accept failure and have the mindset to start again.
Today, Shafiq is a healthy and happy man. His success story proves that any bad habit can be broken with the right strategy and a strong mindset.
A Note from CoreWellFit
We have seen that it is possible to change any bad habit if you work with scientific techniques and the proper mental preparation, rather than relying solely on willpower. The most crucial thing in this journey is to understand yourself deeply and move forward through small steps.
Remember, every failure is a new learning opportunity. Whenever you stumble, don’t get discouraged and start again.
So, start today. Take one small step and take back control of your life.
