Habits Change; So Can You

Posted by Angela on January 25, 2012 in Angela Whitlock, Blog, Changing Behaviours, Self Awareness

You Need to Know Your Habits if You’re Going to Break Them

Last week I had a call from a friend I hadn’t seen for almost a year. She lives nearby but our lives had been so busy that we hadn’t had chance to meet up. It was so lovely to hear from her that I invited her over at the weekend.

“I can’t do Sunday because that’s when I do the big supermarket shop and clean the house,” she said. “If I don’t get those jobs done on a Sunday the week ahead is chaos!”

Many of us have similar routines and we stick to them because it’s what we do, it’s like a script that an actor has to learn. Once we learn it, that’s what we do and continue to avoid the discomfort associated with changing it. In fact, you’re probably wondering why there’s any need to change your habits at all when they appear to make life easier.

Rethinking mundane routines may seem trivial but the reality is that the more we hold onto old ideas and old ways of doing things the more they creep in and the harder it becomes to break down the barriers and  creating new solutions in all areas of our lives.

The New Year often starts off with many of us thinking about breaking habits and doing things differently but although we might think we know what needs to change in our lives to makes us happier or healthier there will be activities we do regularly that we’re not necessarily aware of.

Habits aren’t just vices we’d like to break like a desire to smoke or eat chocolate, they are patterns in our lives that have become so familiar and comfortable that we’re afraid to break them.

To become aware of your habits start by examining your daily and weekly routine. Do you go to the supermarket every Saturday morning and do you always go to the same one? Do you always visit the same restaurant? Do you do certain tasks on the same day each week? It’s only when you really take an honest look at your daily routine that you see how many patterns emerge that are hindering you, your time and your energy.

A simple change of habit such as shopping at a different supermarket can make you really become consciously aware of what you buy and will expose you to different types of products that break the monotony of the same old stuff.

For more ideas on how to break your own self-imposed rules to inspire creativity and make change positive, download a free chapter of my book Walk on the Grass or try my six step online personal change programme.