1) Identify your habits. This might seem obvious, but realizing your habits and their consequences will help motivate you to stop. Take me for example. Lately, I've noticed that my fingers have been kind of stiff and I've attributed it to my near-constant knuckle-cracking, which has become a subconscious habit. Now that I know I have a bad habit and that it has a negative effect, I've decided I need to stop.
2) Set goals. Doing something repeatedly for 21 days makes a habit, so not doing something for 21 days should break the habit. However, quitting cold turkey is a bit intimidating, so set small goals for yourself based on how often you do your habit. For example, instead of trying to goal a whole day without popping my knuckles, I'll try to go an hour. This makes quitting seem more realistic.
3) Reward yourself. If you achieve your goal, give yourself a small reward. This way, when you're tempted to indulge in your habit, you can think of your incentive rather than your habit and look forward to getting it.
4) Find a healthy alternative. If you find something else to do when you're tempted by your bad habit, you can distract yourself so you aren't thinking about the habit. For example, if your habit involves your fingers, such as biting your nails, learn how to roll a coin. This way, the next time you want to bite your nails, just pull out a coin and distract your fingers.
5) Remove temptation. This tip doesn't apply to all habits, but it does work with some. Get rid of the temptation. For instance, since I always pick at my split ends, I could trim my hair so there are no split ends to mess with. Or if you bite your nails, buy some of that gross-tasting nail polish. By removing the problem altogether, you won't allow yourself to be tempted.
That's all I've got. Feel free to comment any tips you have or if you've overcome any bad habits. I'd love to hear!
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