Have you ever wondered what self-control has to do with habit formation? Technically, self-control is only a short-term solution, not one that is maintained long term.
I’ve actually got pretty good self-control. I would have been that little kid that held out and didn’t eat the marshmallow in the now infamous marshmallow test. Whenever, I would rejoin Weight Watchers (one known as WW) I would faithfully work the program easily for around three to five months. I would NEVER cheat, and would consistently lose weight each week, albeit it came off slower as I aged.
However, after maintaining that lose as time wire on as much as I wished to keep the weight off I would slowly return to my old habits. That’s where I am know in my life.
Clear states that, “The way to improve discipline is to create a more disciplined environment.” Basically, an “out of sight, out of mind mentality.”
He reminds us that it’s much easier to “practice self-restraint” if you don’t have to rely on it constantly.
If I didn’t have the candy bowl sitting in my counter I wouldn’t need to muster up the self-control to not take a piece each time I passed by.
“Once a habit has been encoded (in the mind) the urge to act follows whenever the environmental cues reappear.”
Trying to resist a craving doesn’t always work because your brain literally has a “mental groove” that has been created from the habit. It’s literally calling your name waiting for the reward. This is where reducing exposure to the cue comes in handy.
Yesterday I wrote about how the environment can help or harm your efforts to develop good habits. Snack Central in my house is an example of the battle between self-discipline and cue exposure raging within me, and me coming out at the losing end.
If there is any first step here I think I must address what sounded like a good idea at first, but what is actually contributing to my inability to control my eating habits.
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