Here’s the punch line: You can break a habit, but you’re unlikely to
forget it. Once the mental grooves of habit have been carved into your
brain, they are nearly impossible to remove entirely—even if they go
unused for quite a while. And that means that simply resisting
temptation is an ineffective strategy. It is hard to maintain a Zen
attitude in a life filled with interruptions. It takes too much energy. In
the short-run, you can choose to overpower temptation. In the longrun,
we become a product of the environment that we live in. To put it
bluntly, I have never seen someone consistently stick to positive habits
in a negative environment.
A more reliable approach is to cut bad habits off at the source. One
of the most practical ways to eliminate a bad habit is to reduce
exposure to the cue that causes it.
If you can’t seem to get any work done, leave your phone in another room for a few hours.
If you’re continually feeling like you’re not enough, stop following
social media accounts that trigger jealousy and envy.
If you’re wasting too much time watching television, move the TV out of the bedroom.
If you’re spending too much money on electronics, quit reading reviews of the latest tech gear.
If you’re playing too many video games, unplug the console and
put it in a closet after each use.
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