Get Competitive to Kick that Habit

photo credit: joeltelling

Have you tried and failed to break a bad habit? Is it that no matter what you try, or how many strategies you find on the internet, you just can’t stop repeating that same pattern of behaviour?

Time to try something new. Let me ask: are you competitive by nature? If you’re into personal development there’s a fair chance you are. If so, this method of breaking habits or patterns should appeal.

First, what is the habit you wish to break? It could be anything from the mundane (chewing your nails) to the meaningful (drinking too much). Be clear about why you want to kick the habit and write it at the top of a sheet of paper that you can carry everywhere.

The next step is to become consciously aware of each occasion on which you are tempted to act on the habit. If you find your fingernail between your teeth, consciously observe that fact and stop chewing. Very quickly you’ll become conscious of it as the thought is formulating in your head, well before nail meets tooth enamel.

Compete

Now get competitive. Think of yourself as a sports team, which progresses through a season (say a month), recording victories and defeats as it goes. Challenge yourself to resist temptation every time it strikes. Draw up a simple tally chart on your slip of paper with columns for victories and defeats. Record every time you resist in your victory column, every time you fail in your defeat column.

Now set a target for the season. All sports teams like to win as many matches as they can, and the truly great teams can go through a whole season undefeated. Challenge yourself to be a legendary team. You’ll probably lose more than you win to begin with, but the act of recording every defeat will concentrate the failure in your mind and aid you in becoming conscious of each potential victory/defeat before the game begins. Before long each time you’re thinking about acting out of habit you’ll see your little tally chart in your mind’s eye.

But what if you’re a poor team, a struggler, or newly promoted into the top league? Clearly a 100% record in your first season is a tall order, especially as you work to become conscious of each individual temptation. So what about a respectable mid-table finish? Aim to resist 50, 60 or 70% of your temptations in the first season, then increase it next time round. Within three seasons (three months) you should be able to kick any habit for good.

Teamwork

Now this system works great if you’re habit-busting solo. But if there’s a group of you, the competitive edge can become even more intense as you compare your results throughout the season, vying to see who will finish top and claim the title. Of course this depends on honesty from your competitors, but then they wouldn’t lie to you, would they?

Let me know if getting competitive helps you break that persistent bad habit.

This is an updated version of a post that originally appeared on my previous blog. It is one of a small selection of the best content I am republishing for continued reader delight.

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