Build new habit or get rid of bad habit?
Quickly! Answer this question: if you have to choose between developing a new good habit vs. getting rid of an existing bad habit, which one would you pick?
Now I am going to give you my answer. But before that, I am going to eat some white chocolate, watch some dumb ESPN segments, scroll through TikTok and Reddit in bed, lose my temper a couple of times, then procrastinate a few more hours. I’ll get back to you. I promise!
One of the 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective People
Well, do you need the answer at this point? We all have developed bad habits over the years. Some of them can crush our dreams and stop us from reaching our full potential.
According to re, here are some of the most common bad habits people want to quit:
Smoking
Overeating
Procrastination
Excessive alcohol consumption
Nail-biting
Spending too much time on electronic devices
Not getting enough sleep
Constant negative self-talk
Always comparing to others
Watching too much pornography
If you have any of these bad habits or any bad habit tormenting you, wouldn’t quitting, or severely limiting these habits, pay huge dividends in your life?
For me, if I could quit playing with my phone in bed before and after sleeping, I would have much better sleep and much more productive mornings.
So in February, I will set one of my Sisyphi goals to be a Habit Cleanser - someone who takes the time and effort to systematically reduce and eventually eliminate a bad habit. My targeted habit is having my phone in bed before and after sleep. I will do so by charging my phone outside my bedroom after 10 PM.
My goal is to do it 19 out of 28 (about ⅔) days. I know. It would be awesome to do it 28 out of 28 days, but I am realistic about my limitations. I want to celebrate myself for my success and progress, instead of beating myself up for my minor setbacks. Plus, if I can wipe out ⅔ of a bad habit, it would be a huge win.
Now tell me, if you haven’t already, if you were a Habit Cleanser, which bad habit would you like to cleanse?
