--- description: Ironically, studies show saying “I’ll never do that again” makes you even more likely to do that again. About 40% of the actions we perform... title: What Are the 5 Steps for Changing Bad Habits Into Good Ones? image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa0f713d77aeedd0/698769732dce01958e9dbdac/smoking.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What Are the 5 Steps for Changing Bad Habits Into Good Ones? by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 19, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  I will quit tomorrow ashtray I will quit tomorrow ashtrayGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 19, 2014 5:01 AM CUT Ironically, studies show saying “I’ll never do that again” [makes you even more likely to do that again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-saying-ill-never-do-that-again-make-you "undefined"). About [40% of the actions we perform in a day](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-much-of-the-day-do-we-spend-on-autopilot "undefined") are habits. So we’re on autopilot almost half the time. Let’s round up the research on bad habits and good habits and learn the best way to turn one into the other. **Awareness** The first step is awareness. That cigarette doesn’t magically appear in your mouth. [Noticing yourself acting habitually](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-dramatically-change-peoples-behavior "undefined") is a big first step. We have to [get off autopilot](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-best-way-to-fight-bad-habits "undefined") to make changes. It might be too hard to cut back on your habits at first. That’s okay. Try reducing the _variability_ in the habit. In other words, don’t even try to quit smoking; try to smoke the same number of cigarettes each day. [This little effort toward self-control led to a decrease in smoking over time.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/when-its-too-hard-to-quit-a-bad-habit-whats-a "undefined") **Find Your Triggers** Now that you’re noticing when you do your habits, focus on what triggers them. Stress? Friends? [Identifying your triggers](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-we-resist-our-bad-habits "undefined") is key. **Replace** Getting rid of habits is hard. [Assigning new habits to established triggers is far easier](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-secret-to-breaking-bad-habits-forev "undefined"). What are you going to do now when that trigger arises? Establish something new to take the place of the old habit. “If-then” scenarios are [one of the most powerful tools](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-two-tricks-to-making-good-habits-sti "undefined") for resisting triggers. Establish a plan: “_If_ I’m tempted to \_\_\_\_\_\_ _then_ I will \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ instead.” Rather than scrambling to resist with willpower, research shows people perform dramatically better when they already have an established “if-then” process ready. More on “If-then” [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-powerful-technique-for-followi "undefined"). Use [baby steps](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-easily-start-good-habits "undefined"), focus on [consistency](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-excellent-productivity-secret-we-can "undefined") above all else and [reward](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-we-learn-about-self-control-from-suc "undefined") yourself for “[small wins](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-small-wins-the-secret-to-conquering-procr "undefined")“. Savoring these little achievements day by day is [one of the reasons behind the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-lesson-can-we-all-learn-from-alcoholics "undefined"). **Manipulate Your Context** Don’t rely on [willpower](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/15-research-based-secrets-to-bulletproof-will "undefined"). The importance of self-control is [one of the biggest myths](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-the-top-ten-mistakes-you-make-when-t "undefined") about habit change. Instead, manipulate your environment so you don’t have to exert self-control. Throw out the donuts. Hide the booze. This has been shown [to be surprisingly powerful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-did-heroin-addiction-during-the-vietnam "undefined"). **_Manipulate your environment so as to_** [**_make what you should do easy and what you shouldn’t do hard._**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-an-easy-trick-for-quitting-bad-habits-a "undefined") If you can make good habits take 20 seconds less time to perform and bad habits 20 seconds longer, [you’ll likely see big changes in your behavior](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-the-20-second-rule-the-key-to-being-your-b "undefined"). Reminders to do the right thing (like [signs](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-does-it-take-to-improve-your-behavior "undefined") or even [text messages](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-text-messages-make-you-healthier-and-rich "undefined")) can be a big help. And context isn’t just the inanimate objects. Friends are [one of our biggest influences](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-your-friends-the-easiest-route-to-self-im "undefined") and can be [a potent tool for habit change](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-key-to-radically-changing-your-life "undefined"). More on the power of context [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-most-effective-way-to-change-you-be "undefined"). **Don’t Give Up** Changing habits [takes an average of 66 days](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-establish-good-habit "undefined") (establishing competency at new skills [takes approximately 8 weeks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-achieve-basic-compet "undefined") as well) so hang in there and don’t get discouraged. More tips are [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-proven-tips-that-will-help-you-achie "undefined"). The research says [these](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp "undefined") are some good daily habits and [these](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-week-to-im "undefined") are solid weekly habits. Best books on the subject are [The Power of Habit](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400069289/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400069289&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined") and [Willpower](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143122231/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0143122231&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20 "undefined"). I highly recommend them both. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/what-are-the-5-steps-for-changing-bad-habits/ "undefined")**_._** **Join 25K+ readers.** Get a free weekly update via email [here](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3593367/change-bad-habits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3593367/change-bad-habits/"},"headline":"What Are the 5 Steps for Changing Bad Habits Into Good Ones?","datePublished":"2014-11-19T05:01:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:01:58.060Z","description":"Ironically, studies show saying “I’ll never do that again” makes you even more likely to do that again. 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