Bad Habits Be Gone: 5 Ways to Turn a Bad Habit into a Good One

Connie Ragen Green — Bad Habits Be Gone: 5 Ways to Turn a Bad Habit into a Good One

5 Ways to Turn Bad Habits into Good Ones

We all have bad habits; it’s a fact of life because we’re human and imperfect. The good news is that bad habits can be changed with some discipline and work. Changing bad habits doesn’t happen overnight but simply acknowledging the bad behavior is the first step toward change.

Here are some tips for changing bad habits into good habits:

1. Keep the temptation out of sight. If you have a problem with overeating junk food, for example, keep those tempting foods out of your home. Avoid those particular aisles at the grocery store. Step away from the snack table when you’re a guest at someone’s house. If your temptation isn’t visible, then you’ll get used to not having that temptation in your life, which in itself forms a good habit of not overindulging.
2. Reward yourself. If you want to stop biting your nails, schedule a manicure or a day at the spa after 6–8 weeks as a reward, provided you stayed true and avoided biting those nails. Now use this reward as a way to keep your bare nails (temptation) out of sight thereby eliminating the biting behavior altogether. Also consider rewarding yourself for incorporating a good habit into your life as well and choose small, simple rewards that fit your budget.