Build good habits and smash bad ones to make your life so much simpler!
We all know we should save money. Eat Healthily. Exercise. Spend time with those we care about. And make sure to practice self-care.
But sometimes all those great things are easier said than done.
I am currently reading Gretchen Rubin’s book, Better than Before. It’s all about building healthy habits and breaking bad ones.
Habits are settled or regular tendencies or practices. They usually take very little conscious effort. This can be great if it’s a good habit, but hard to stop if it’s a bad habit.
One of the suggestions that hit strongest for me in her book is building safeguards in our lives:
Build Good Habits- Prepare for Temptation
We all have those little annoying habits that we just can’t seem to break. Maybe it’s overspending at a favorite store. Or indulging in a blended mocha too often.
Whatever it is, prepare for temptation so you can avoid it:
- Are you and the kids ALWAYS hungry after work when you’re stuck between soccer practice and dinner? Instead of giving in to the drive-thru habit, stock your car with water bottles and healthy snacks.
- Do you always want to buy the newest outfits from your favorite store when the seasons turn? Plan to avoid the mall during the first few weeks of the season. Or, if you really enjoy those new clothes, put money away in your Expected Expenses “Outfit Fund.” Enjoy that new top without ruining your budget.
- Does your kid “need” a new box of cereal, the latest themed fruit snacks, AND their favorite ice cream every time you grocery shop? Talk with them ahead of time about only choosing one special treat. They can think about it and find something they really want without bothering you in every aisle.
Build Good Habits- Avoid Triggers or Cues
Most bad habits are triggered by something in your everyday life. The best way to avoid bad habits and build good ones is to actively avoid those cues:
Food Triggers
My daughter, Jelly Bean, loves potato chips, and pretty much every other snack possible. If she sees them, she just needs them.
At our old house, snack foods tended to be stored on the kitchen table or countertops. They were always visible so she always wanted something and was getting kinda chunky.
When we moved, there was way more cupboard space so I was able to store snack items behind closed doors. Her sudden snack “needs” decreased. “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.”
Of course, she wants an occasional treat but it’s no longer a nonstop battle.
Another option for someone who seriously wants to avoid snacking is to never bring the food in the house in the first place. If all you have is apples and carrots, that’s all you have to snack on.
Money Triggers
I do this with myself for excess grocery shopping. If I shop inside the store, I am more tempted to see something else we might “need” and buy it.
With the introduction of drive-up pick-ups, I am able to just order the things I need and pick them up OUTSIDE the store. Thus avoiding so many impulse purchases.
Habits like Smoking
An old coworker decided he wanted to quit smoking but he was so used to going outside with his fellow smokers during break time. The cue kept him wanting to light up.
One day, he decided to start reading in the break room at the back of the store instead of walking outside. No longer seeing everyone else reach in their pockets and walk outside made it easier for him to stop.
Build Good Habits- Make Things Automatic
My favorite way to ensure I do what I need to do is to totally avoid any necessary decision-making and make it automatic.
If you have to make a decision to do something or not, it becomes a lot harder to make the right choice when the time comes.
Automatic Money
Mr. Bean and I know the importance of investing for retirement (Can You Save Your Way to Retirement?) and saving for emergencies. (Freedom of Emergency Fund)
We also know certain bills need to be paid every month in order to keep a roof over our heads and the power on.
Instead of using our brain power, again and again, every month on these simple but important tasks, we make it automatic! (How I Hide Money From Myself)
Set up automatic transfers with your bank to savings. Automatic contributions for your retirement funds. Auto bill pay for regular payments like rent/mortgage, cable, etc. And if you use credit cards, make sure to set up automatic minimum payments each month to avoid late fees.
Automatic Meals
Drive-thus, carry-out, or restaurant delivery are easy and convenient. But they are often very expensive and not the healthiest.
In order to save money, our waistlines, and time, I try to do at least a basic meal plan for the week.
Some people like to go full prep mode on the weekends. They chop, pan, and even precook full meals for the week.
I’m just not up for that, I just make a basic meal plan for the week:
Breakfast: Eggos and bananas on Monday, Toast with peanut butter Tuesday, etc.
Dinners: Pasta on Monday, Tacos on Tuesdays, etc.
Lunches and snacks include fruits, prepackaged items like a granola bar, some sort of sandwich concoction, etc.
Just having that basic plan in mind, I can easily jam out meals, even when I’m in a rush.
Build Good Habits- Plan for Failure
Any time you’re trying to build a good habit or break a bad habit, there will be slip-ups. We’re human.
Plan to experience failure, on occasion. Acknowledge that one small setback doesn’t need to completely throw you off track.
Too often, people experience failure and instead of realizing it was an oops, they declare themselves failures and completely fall off the wagon. Nobody needs that negative self-talk.
Diet Failure
Maybe you’re trying to eat healthily but fall for that donut in the coffee room. Your dog pooped on the floor that morning and you’re just so ugh!
Realize that donut is just an oops. It doesn’t mean you’re a horrible fat person and must now eat a Snickers bar, extra fries, and ice cream because you did one thing, so you might as well continue.
Enjoy the donut. Feel better by looking at how cute that furry little pooper is on your phone. Then get back to your healthy eating at lunch.
Money Failure
July is always a hard month for us budget-wise. We have both kids’ birthdays, grandma’s, and two aunty’s birthdays. Plus, it’s the end of summer break here in Hawaii so we always want to fit in one last hurrah before school starts in August.
Most of the year, we have no problem avoiding restaurant meals. We keep activity expenses low. (How to Stay Active for Cheap or Free)
But in July, it always seems like a non-stop whirlwind of money flying out of our pockets between parties and celebrations.
After a few years of noticing this, we began planning for it.
I now keep an Expected Expenses fund for July Birthdays. Each month, I put about $50 in the birthday fund. When July rolls around, we can celebrate like crazy without freaking out.
Notice the things in life that cause you to “fail at money” and plan for them.
Build Good Habits- Preplan Exceptions
If you’ve been consistent, staying with your good habits, it can be tempting to skip or slip, “just this once.” But that feeling of “cheating” can cause people to feel bad and totally fall off the wagon.
Instead of letting yourself slip, unintentionally, preplan exceptions so that you can return to your good habits without that “Cheating” feeling.
Practice Exceptions
Say you’ve been practicing yoga every morning for the last 3 months but you have a vacation coming up in a few weeks.
If you wake up the first morning of vacation and randomly decide to skip yoga so you can get a head start on touring the local sites with your family, you might start to feel guilty. This guilt can build to the point that even when you return home, you might feel like such a yogi failure, and you will stop your regular morning practice.
Instead, preplan. Realize that while on vacation, you will probably want to get an early start on site seeing. It makes sense to skip yoga for a few days so that you can truly enjoy the experience of the trip.
By pre-planning for this exception, you recognize that you are not completely giving up the practice or failing in any way. You’re just taking a break and can easily return to your morning yoga sessions when you get back home.
Just don’t let the exception become the new expectation.
Wrap-Up
Starting a good habit or breaking a bad habit can increase the joy and success in your life.
As automatic actions, good habits can help you be healthier, save money, or generally make your life better.
Following good habits or breaking bad habits can sometimes be easier said than done. By using the safeguards, you can help yourself to become successful!
What habits do you want to start? Or stop? Have you found any great safeguards that have helped you? Leave a comment below.