Let me tell you something I don’t often admit. We all have them. That little voice that says, “Just one more scroll,” when you know you should be sleeping. The promise to start eating better that fizzles out by 3 PM. The nagging feeling that you’re stuck in a loop you didn’t consciously choose.
I get it. For years, my bad habit was mindless scrolling. I’d be working at my desk, and without even thinking, I’d find myself scrolling through TikTok and watching funny videos, instead of working on my goals. It made me feel sluggish, frustrated with myself, and honestly, a little powerless.
But here’s the secret I learned after many attempts and tender conversations with myself: breaking a bad habit has very little to do with punishment or control, and everything to do with curiosity, compassion, and understanding.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in a cycle of frustration, vowing to change, only to find yourself right back where you started, I want you to know something right now: you are not failing. You are learning. And you are not alone. I’ve been there more times than I can count, staring at my own reflection, wondering why willpower alone wasn’t enough.
So, if you’re ready to know how to quit bad habits, continue to read!
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How to quit bad habits in 7 steps
1) Choose a bad habit to break
Let’s talk about the foundation of any great change: knowing exactly where you’re headed. The first step is to get crystal clear. “I want to stop scrolling” is too vague. What does success actually look like?
Instead of a vague “quit,” frame it as a positive, specific goal. For me, I changed “Stop mindless scrolling” to “I will check my phone every 1 hour of work for 10 minutes.”
See the difference? The first one is a restriction. The second is a plan. It’s proactive, not reactive.
Grab a journal. Don’t just say, “I want to quit [bad habit].” Ask yourself: What do I want to do instead? When will I do it? How will I know I’m succeeding? The more detailed your goal, the less room your brain has to negotiate with you later.
When your target is clear, you know precisely what action to take, and you get the incredible satisfaction of knowing without a doubt when you’ve succeeded. This clarity is the first and most powerful step in taking back control.
2) Celebrate small wins
We’re programmed to wait for the big finish line to feel proud. We think, “I’ll celebrate when I’ve lost 20 pounds,” or “I’ll be happy when I’ve gone a full month without social media.” That’s a surefire way to burn out.
Progress is a collection of tiny victories. Did you make it through one whole day without a cigarette? That’s huge! Reward yourself with that fancy coffee you love. Did you resist the urge to hit snooze all week? Treat yourself to a Friday night movie.
I started putting a small, colorful sticker on my calendar for every day I stuck to my snack plan. Watching that chain of stickers grow was surprisingly powerful. It was a visual, happy reminder that I was capable of change.
Celebrate the act of showing up, not just the final result.
This positive reinforcement tells your brain, “Hey, this new behavior is worth it!”
3) Know what sets you off
Habits don’t exist in a vacuum. They are triggered by something. Your mission is to play detective and figure out your habit’s “cue.”
For my scrolling, I realized it was almost always triggered by one of three things:
- Boredom or procrastination at my desk.
- Stress from a tough work problem.
- Having the phone on my desk while I was working.
Once you know your triggers, you can disarm them. For stress, I learned a simple one-minute breathing exercise. For boredom, I’d promise myself five minutes of stretching instead. For the visual cue, I simply moved the phone to another room.
So now, for the next few days, just observe. When you feel the urge for your bad habit, pause and ask: What was I feeling just now? Where was I? What was I doing? Identifying the trigger is 80% of the battle.
4) Learn from your slip-ups
This might be the most important point on this list. You will slip up. You will have a day where you fall back into the old pattern. And that is 100% okay.
The biggest mistake we make is treating a slip-up as a catastrophic failure. We throw our hands up and say, “Well, I blew it. Might as well finish the whole bag.” This “what-the-hell” effect is what truly derails us.
Instead, I want you to reframe a slip-up as data, not drama. It’s not a failure; it’s a lesson.
When I realized I was scrolling for too long, I started asking myself kindly: “What happened? Oh, I think I was working too much, I needed a break, and I grabbed my phone and scrolled for 1 hour. Okay, so the lesson is I need to set a timer for 10 minutes and respect my plan if I really want to change my life (working on my goals).”
Be a curious scientist of your own behavior, not a harsh judge. Trust me, every slip-up teaches you something new about your triggers and your environment, making you smarter and stronger for the next round.
5) Make your environment work for you
Your willpower is a finite resource. Don’t waste it fighting against an environment that’s set up for you to fail. Instead, be the architect of your own space.
Want to eat better? Do a kitchen makeover. Move the fruits and veggies to the front of the fridge. Get the junk food out of the house, or at least put it in one hard-to-reach, opaque container.
Want to scroll less? Charge your phone in another room at night. Delete the most addictive social media apps from your phone during the workweek.
Want to read more? Place a book on your pillow every morning. I started putting my book near my bed, and it’s so easy now to grab that book and read some pages before bed.
Make the good habits easier to start and the bad habits harder to access. Your future self will thank you for it.
6) Picture your success when it gets hard
There will be moments of intense craving, frustration, or doubt, I won’t disbelieve it. In those moments, willpower alone often isn’t enough. You need a “why” that’s bigger than the “want.”
This is where the power of visualization comes in. Close your eyes and vividly imagine the person you are becoming.
When I wanted to check my phone in the middle of my work, I would stop, close my eyes, and picture myself a month from now. I imagined reaching all my goals, being in a different position than now, and being proud of myself. I pictured waking up feeling satisfied instead of lifeless, because I hate waking up early to work for someone else. I focused on the feeling of confidence that comes from keeping a promise to myself.
That mental movie was far more compelling than the temporary moment of distraction. Connect your new behavior to a powerful, positive feeling. Are you quitting smoking to feel the vitality in your lungs on a morning walk? Picture it! Are you saving money to finally take that dream trip? Look at photos of it and imagine yourself in that place! I’m doing the same with South Korea btw! 🙂
7) Make a plan to break the habit slowly every day
And my final point is to be gentle on yourself. Instead of going cold turkey, let’s shrink the habit just a little bit each day. Maybe today, you scroll for 10 minutes less, or swap one soda for a sparkling water. These tiny, daily changes add up to big, lasting results without the shock to your system. In this way, you’re gently redirecting your path, one small step at a time.
Looking at the mountain you have to climb can be overwhelming. “I have to do this forever?” That thought is enough to make anyone give up before they start.
So, don’t think about forever. Just think about today.
My mantra became: “I can do anything for one day.”
I didn’t worry about whether I could stick to my plan for a year. I just focused on getting through today. And when I woke up the next morning, I’d reset and focus on that new day.
This approach makes the process feel manageable. It takes the immense pressure off and brings your focus back to the present moment, where you actually have control.
You have the power to change. It won’t always be a straight line. Sometimes it will be a squiggly, messy, human journey.
But with a clear plan, a kind heart, and a focus on one day at a time, you can absolutely break free from the habits that hold you back and build a life you love, one small win at a time.
Wrap up
And this is my kinder, gentler blueprint for how to quit bad habits. Remember, you don’t need to be perfect, but to make progress.
Celebrate the small wins, learn from the slip-ups, and show up for yourself one single day at a time. You have everything you need inside you to build the habits that truly support the life you want to live.
I’m cheering for you every step of the way!
