Replace it!
I believe in improving myself, so I always have a long list of things that I want to change.
It is usually about changing a bad habit that I have developed. Stopping myself from doing something that does not serve me. One example of a bad habit that I wanted to correct was to stop checking emails first thing in the morning.
My approach to eliminate a bad habit was to set the goal and use all my willpower to make it happen. Unfortunately, I was usually not very successful. What invariably happened was that I would become obsessed with the behavior that I was trying to stop. I will think about it frequently, it was on my mind all the time. It was exhausting. Eventually I would decide that it was not worth the effort and go back to my old ways.
With time I realized that the problem was trying to STOP DOING something. It is much easier to start DOING something new. So, I started experimenting:
To stop checking emails first thing in the morning, I keep a notebook by my bed and write down my priorities for the day as soon as I wake up.
To reduce the amount of carbs that I consume on a regular day, I eat two servings of vegetables on each meal.
To stop being impatient, I practice deep breathing several times a day.
Now, whenever I want to eliminate a bad habit, I think of an opposite behavior that I can start developing.
It works wonders!
