Prioritize Habit Change Based on Which Problem Will Be Solved
You may know what contributes to forming a good habit or eliminating a bad one , but it’s also important to focus on the right ones. Asking yourself if the habit will solve the problem or not will help you prioritize the habit.
Before you dive headlong into developing a new habit, you need to know a thing or two about it: why? Gretchen Rubin, author of Project Happiness , suggests that most of us want to change when we don’t need to. Rubin shares a tip she gave to a friend who thought they needed to quit drinking coffee:
For example, a friend said, “I really love coffee, but I know I should stop drinking it.”
“Why?” I pressed. “Does it keep you awake at night? Do you have a stomach ache? “
“No, it doesn’t affect me. But I must at least cut back. “
“But why?” I pressed. “Enjoy! It’s not a bad habit, unless it causes problems. “
So ask yourself, “What’s the problem?” What problem are you solving with habit change? Perhaps you don’t have an answer, and if so, why waste energy on it? You probably have other habits and goals that you want to take on that solve the problems in your life. Correct what bothers you is constantly popping up in your head and can affect your future. You will probably be happier if you do this. There may still be time in the future to change habits just for the sake of “changing things,” but deal with the problematic things first.
Are you overwhelmed by yourself and your habits? | Psychology today