1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: This week, we'll be discussing habits, why they matter, some 4 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: good ones to adopt, and how to build them and 5 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: sometimes stop them. Today's tip is to spend more time 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: thinking about your good habits than you're bad ones, because 7 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: celebrating the good ones can make them even stronger. When 8 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: we think about habits, our minds tend to drift to 9 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: those nagging ones we've coked with for years. Maybe you 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: bite your finger, nails or twist your hair. There have 11 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: been some great books published in recent years about habits, 12 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: such as Charles do Higgs The Power of Habit, which 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: explains the Q response reward cycle that has you clicking 14 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: on Instagram every time you see that icon on your 15 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: phone or biting your nails every time your board. Clearly 16 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: people are interested in habits, since James Clear's Atomic Habits 17 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: is currently on the best seller list, and Gretchen Reuben's 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,199 Speaker 1: Better Than Before also sold very well a few years ago. 19 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: If you'd like to learn more, those are all great 20 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: places to start. In any case, it is certainly possible 21 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: for someone who's been biting his nails for decades to stop. 22 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,479 Speaker 1: But often bad habits that aren't really hurting anyone are 23 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 1: better at off managed to simply minimize them, rather than 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: throwing the limited resource of willpower into totally eliminating them. 25 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: You learn not to bite your nails in public, for instance, 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: rather than holding yourself to the standard of stopping completely. Instead, 27 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 1: I think you should spend some time really thinking through 28 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: your good habits. There may be more of them than 29 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: you think, and celebrating them can help your life in 30 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: all kinds of ways. For instance, you're listening to this podcast. 31 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: That means you value spending small bits of time in 32 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: ways that help you learn something that's a great habit. 33 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 1: When you see this and acknowledge it, that encourages you 34 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: look to look for other small bits of time that 35 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 1: might be used well. Next thing you know, you're putting 36 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: e books on your phone and reading in the grocery 37 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: store checkoutline. I did this exercise for myself recently to 38 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: try to think through good habits I have or my 39 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 1: family has, that I tend not to dwell on or 40 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: even think of much, partly because they are so automatic. 41 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: For instance, we never have the TV on in the 42 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: background in our house. If someone wants to watch a 43 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: specific show, that's great, but it's never just on. We 44 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: also don't put TVs in bedrooms. I don't think of 45 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: this as deprivation because I can't even imagine why someone 46 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: would want a TV in his or her bedroom. But 47 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: the fact that I think that tells you something right 48 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: there that this is truly an entrenched thing for me. 49 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: I value sleep, and I've built my life to allow 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: for good sleep habits. Getting to bed on top time 51 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: as easier when you're not facing the temptation of watching 52 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: just one more show. We also don't drink sugar sweetened 53 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,800 Speaker 1: beverages in our house. In our day to day lives. 54 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 1: We don't bring them into the house. Again, I'm not 55 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: militant about it, but it would never occur to me 56 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: to buy a two liter bottle of soda at the supermarket. 57 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: I walk past that aisle as if it doesn't exist, 58 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: just as I don't visit the cat food section because 59 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: I don't have a cat. The result is that my 60 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: kids aren't used to sweet drinks, and when my nine 61 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: year old recently picked out a coke at a drug 62 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: store as a treat, it took him two days to 63 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: get through it. Actually, I think half of it is 64 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: still sitting in our fridge going flat. I offer both 65 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: of these examples not so much for the rah rah 66 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: me factor. My kids eat plenty of other junk, and 67 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: they play way more video games than I'd like. But 68 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: if you ask me about my habits, my automatic response 69 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: would be to bemoan that I pick up my nails 70 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: and spend too much time on Twitter. Those things may 71 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: be true, but in the law run, getting enough sleep 72 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: and structurally limiting sugar consumption are probably bigger deals, or, 73 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: for that matter, automatically putting on our seatbelts every time 74 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: we're in vehicles. When I think of these habits, I'm 75 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: reminded that fundamentally, I'm a person who cares about my 76 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: health and cares about my family's health. This is part 77 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: of my identity. When we remind ourselves of our identities, 78 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: we tend to want to strengthen them. With any journey, 79 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,240 Speaker 1: when you sense that you're already on your way, you 80 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: want to keep going because who doesn't like a head start. 81 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: I think we're a family who doesn't drink much sugar, 82 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: and I feel more motivated to cut up a little 83 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 1: extra produce and become the family that eats their vegetables too. 84 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: So what good habits do you have? Really think about 85 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: this and feel free to list the obvious ones. Say 86 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:56,119 Speaker 1: you don't smoke. That's awesome right there. You're massively ahead 87 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: of the game. You wash your hands frequently, you floss, 88 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: you contribute to your retirement account automatically. You pay your 89 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: bills in full and on time. When you think of 90 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:10,000 Speaker 1: all these things, you can keep your annoying tendency to 91 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: say um or like frequently in context. To take some 92 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 1: time today to think about all the good habits you 93 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: already have. Then take a moment to appreciate them and 94 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: think about how you might expand them in the meantime. 95 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making 96 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:39,719 Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to 97 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions, 98 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, 99 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,479 Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the 100 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: number four then breakfast p o D. You can also 101 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i 102 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com That Before Breakfast is spelled out 103 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward 104 00:06:05,080 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of 105 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. 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