ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
How to Replace Bad Habits with Good Ones: The Science of ?Habit Management?
Few things are more difficult than kicking bad habits or developing more positive ones. But it is definitely worth the effort. Bad habits like smoking, overeating or self-criticism shorten lives and lead to underachievement, and unsuccessful attempts to change them lower self- esteem. In contrast, good habits create a kind of "success auto-pilot," leading to greater accomplishment with less thought and less effort. So how do you best eliminate bad habits and create good ones? Research from the new field of "positive psychology" ? the scientific study of happy, successful people ? points to at least four proven techniques for successful habit management. 1. Replace a bad habit with a good one. Completely eliminating a habit is much harder than replacing it with a more productive habit. Studies of people who compulsively bite their fingernails have shown that it is very difficult for them to completely give up their habit, and much easier for them to substitute biting with the more productive habit of grooming their nails. Similarly, people who talk too much during meetings struggle to become silent, but find it much easier to replace their compulsive talking with highly attentive listening. 2. Exercise. A habit of regular exercise is obviously important for lasting weight loss. But you may not realize that exercise helps in accomplishing a variety of goals, and in eliminating a number of bad habits. Frequent exercise helps break habits of overeating, and in kicking all kinds of addictions, particularly if exercise is substituted for an end-of-the-day cocktail or cigarette. Among smokers who become competitive runners, for example, over 80% give up smoking. 3. Reward success. The most fundamental law in all of psychology is the "law of effect." It simply states that actions followed by rewards are strengthened and likely to recur. Unfortunately, studies show that people rarely use this technique when trying to change personal habits. Dieters, for example, routinely overlook weeks of exercise and restrained eating, only to let a single lapse "snowball" into a total relapse and complete collapse. Setting up formal or informal rewards for success greatly increases your chances of transforming bad habits into good ones, and is far more effective than punishing yourself for bad habits or setbacks. 4. Schedule your bad habits. If you are really struggling to kick a bad habit, try limiting the habit to a specific time and place. If you are struggling to quit cigarettes, allow yourself to smoke from 9-9:30pm, and only in an uncomfortable "smoking stool." When the urge to smoke strikes, tell yourself that you'll have plenty of time to smoke during your pre-scheduled smoking period. Research and case studies confirm that this rather unconventional approach can be a useful first step in changing bad habits. Copyright © 2004 Stephen Kraus, Ph.D. REFERENCES The findings and recommendations in this article are based on scientific research published in peer-reviewed journals. For complete references, see Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil by Stephen Kraus, Ph.D. About The Author Success Scientist Dr. Stephen Kraus is author of Psychological Foundations of Success: A Harvard-Trained Scientist Separates the Science of Success from Self-Help Snake Oil. He was recently featured in Conversations on Success, along with Brian Tracy and Wally "Famous" Amos. Steve has a Ph.D. in psychology from Harvard University. To contact him or subscribe to his REAL Science of Success ezine, please visit http://www.RealScienceOfSuccess.com
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Goals: What Would You Like to Accomplish in the Next 90 Days? "What would you like to accomplish in the next 90 days?" Do You Really Value What You Wish For? I am sitting in a shopping mall, waiting for my wife to finish her Christmas shopping. Next to me is a rather pathetic-looking fountain, which contains hundreds of coins, mostly thrown in by children of irate shoppers. A Winner Never Uses Chance or Luck to Win In games of chance, what separates a player from a winner and are they mutually exclusive? Finding Your Inner Flame: Finding Passion Series - 3 of 3 Why is it that some goals have a fire and a passion behind them that creates an almost self-propelled drive towards completion, while other goals are left dead in the water before they've hardly even begun? What causes that level of motivation to manifest itself? Can we harness it? Can we predict when and where it will hit? The answers lie in finding out if the person setting the goal is in touch with his or her own deepest desires. Do they really understand who and what they are? Do they really know what it is that drives them? Improve Your Self Confidence Knowing yourself is the foundation of self-esteem, self confidence and personal development. Man has been seeking himself since the days of the Oracle of Delphi. "Know yourself" said the Oracle, but she spoke in riddles and the men who had come a long way to get a simple answer from her wise lips went away even more confused. Stop Procrastinating - Start Achieving Your Goals It has been said that 60-80% of New Year's resolutions will be broken within the first two weeks. In other words, a lot of people have a hard time making the changes in their life they want to make. So you are not alone. Personally, I am not a huge advocate of New Year's resolutions because I believe in setting and achieving personal goals all year around. That being said, I wanted to share with you the top ten ways to increase the likelihood for success with achieving your goals. The Importance of Aligning Your Personal Goals With Your Business Goals: Part 3 of a Series Would you like to be sure that your personal goals are consistent with your business goals? (Yes) (No) Waiting On Your Big Break Is Playing Desperation Life! Have you ever put all your eggs in one basket? Have you ever had so much riding on one big break that if it didn't happen you would have to move down to the zoo and live off of kudzu and stump water? If you have, you're playing desperation life! Self Improvement and the Importance of Flexibility People who want to achieve success in their lives and are committed to self improvement know the value of setting goals and making workable plans for their realisation. These are essential steps to success. If you need any guidance with goal setting techniques or planning, there are many invaluable tools available from Self Improvement Experts that can really help. Keep Your Attention On What You Want Have you ever wondered: "How does this 'Law of Attraction' really work? Can I really attract only what I want?" Give Your Dreams Substance Setting goals is wonderful; it confirms that we've taken those first awkward steps towards attaining what we desire in our lives. The simple fact that you've taken the time to plan out what you want to achieve puts you in a distinct class. Whats the Next Action Step? Nothing gets done unless an action is completed. Everything we do is an action step. Of course some are so routine they don't really need to be written down or remembered. They are simply habit or ingrained in our daily lives. Wake up. Go to the bathroom. Say your prayers. Read the sports section of the newspaper. Take a shower. Brush your teeth. Get dressed. Drive to work. Do you have these tasks written down in your planner? Of course not. But they are still action tasks. You don't get cleaned until you wash up. You don't know how the Phillies did last night until you read the sports section. The Promise: The Key to the Successful Achievement of Your Goals Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. - H. L. Hunt The Kaizen of Goal Setting There is an old way of goal setting and a new way of goal setting! Getting What You Want 1. Recognize that you are the source of everything that you want. Achieving Elusive Goals Everyone has something in their life that they would like to change. Some really big goals include overcoming addiction, achieving and sustaining weight loss, attaining inner peace, manifesting health, or becoming more successful. We are born to continuously expand our abilities. The beginning of most goals are exciting. Visions of triumph flourish in the minds of those starting a path of change. Each new day brings energy to chase down the most elusive of goals. But what if you've been working on manifesting the same dream for years? And one day, despite your optimism, despite the effort of applying the tools of empowerment, you realize that you have not acquired the goal which you set for yourself. How To Rise Above The Clutter In Your Brain Ever notice when you start a new hobby or fall in love with a new shrub or flower you start to see it everywhere? This isn't necessarily because everyone else has the same new hobby it's because you have the flower or shrub or hobby at the top of your mind. The Psychology Of Success Everybody has a dream. A fantasy, if you like. Usually it takes the form of something we would like to have, or something we would like to happen to us. How we respond to this dream will decide whether we are successful, or whether we remain as we are. Motivation and Goal Settings ?The to Do List What is it that you need to do in order to be successful in your endeavor? One way to find out is to write a daily "To do list". This "To do list" will supplement your goal settings. It will simplify yours steps towards achieving your long term goal(s). Why Traditional Goal Setting Doesnt Work If you have a $100.000.000 in the bank, drive new Lexus, look like a movie star and have a perfect health save yourself some time and do not read this article. This article is for people, who don't have all these things, but are planning on changing that slight inconvenience.
|
|
|
|
|
