Here's habit #8 in the Top 10 Habits to Get Healthy Value For Your Time:
Choose positive habits to replace negative or self-destructive behaviors.

Sounds obvious, doesn't it? And yet, not so easy. I'd like to unpack the wording of this one in order to show you why it's so important.

By negative or self-destructive habits, I mean anything you do routinely, without consciously choosing it, that wastes your time, feels wrong for you, or moves you farther from your goals and values. 

The big caveat here is that I'm not talking about addictions like substance abuse or eating disorders; these are surely self-destructive, and they're beyond the scope of this article and beyond the scope of coaching. If you're struggling with issues like these, professional help is required.

I'm talking about the little things that we all do that get in the way of the life we'd like to have. Yours might be spending too much time on the computer, or watching television every evening, or drinking a huge coffee drink laden with fat and sugar every morning. Whatever it is for you, you can identify it by listening to the little voice in your head which says, "I know I shouldn't, but..." 

By positive habits, I mean any routine behaviors which are consistent with your goals and values. Your positive habits might be completely different from mine, because everyone's goals and values are different. In this series of articles, I've suggested some positive habits that I recommend; they may or may not feel right to you.

The word choose is one that I used intentionally in the wording of this habit. Habits are activities that we do automatically, without a lot of conscious awareness about each instance. We do so many things and make so many decisions each day that we can't possibly consider the pros and cons of each one individually: we would never get anything done! Choice is important, though, when we select the habits we want in our lives. Once a habit is established, then we don't have to make the choice again each time. 

And, finally, the concept of replacing one habit with another is important. If you drink six cups of coffee every morning, and you've decided you'd like to change that habit, it's extremely difficult to just stop drinking coffee. Most people will do better if they create a new habit to replace the coffee-drinking. If you simply eliminate the old habit, it leaves a void in your life and you focus on what is missing; if you create a new habit to replace it, you have something new to hold your attention.

The idea of replacing one habit with another is also why this is a time-saver. When you read about healthy habits you "should" adopt, it can feel overwhelming. So I should be fixing three home-cooked meals each day, exercising for 30 minutes, and meditating? Where am I going to find the time for all of that? Where you find the time is by replacing current habits which don't serve you.

There's plenty more to say about changing habits. Zen Habits has many great posts about habit change, and I'll write more articles about this topic in the future. For today, I wanted to get you thinking about what habits you'd like to let go of, and what you'd like to replace them with. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.