In our life, we have automated behaviours that repeat themselves without us realising.
We are driven by reward and things that make us feel good.
For example, you brush your teeth in the morning, but the act itself doesn’t give you any pleasure. Instead, you’re motivated by the feeling of having a clean mouth afterward.
In many ways, we choose to do things not because the thing itself brings joy, but rather because we enjoy the feeling of reward that comes with it.
Being aware of what drives you towards those daily habits and the core reasons as to why you do it, can be a way to either start with new, positive habits that will improve your lifestyle or even get rid of negative habits that might be holding you back from achieving your goals.
A practical way of finding out what those habits are and taking action is:
Make a list of your habits.
Write down on a piece of paper what your routine is, in detail from the time you wake up till the time you go to bed. Next to each point, add a + for positive habits, a – for negative habits and a = sign for neutral habits.
Once aware of each, choose which you want to get rid of and start practicing straight away, changing them to new habits you’d like to implement.
For example, during your lunch break, you realise that you eat whilst on your phone and then spend the rest of the time on social media.
Now by actively avoiding that you can, for example, choose to go for a 15min walk instead of reaching for your phone straight after having your lunch.
Build your habits slowly and start small, focusing on consistency.