養(yǎng)成新的(好)習(xí)慣，改掉舊的(壞)習(xí)慣

養(yǎng)成新的(好)習(xí)慣，改掉舊的(壞)習(xí)慣

Odds are, you are trying to break a bad habit or institute a good one right now. As a species, we are impressively committed to self-improvement, and most of us believe that habits are an effective means to that end.

很有可能，你現(xiàn)在正試圖改掉一個(gè)壞習(xí)慣或養(yǎng)成一個(gè)好習(xí)慣。作為一個(gè)物種，我們致力于自我完善，令人印象深刻，我們大多數(shù)人相信習(xí)慣是達(dá)到這一目標(biāo)的有效手段。

Habits -- actions performed with little conscious thought and often unwittingly triggered by external cues -- are powerful influences on behavior and can be our greatest allies for positive change. But because they are so difficult to break, habits are also frequent saboteurs of personal progress.

習(xí)慣——在很少有意識(shí)思考的情況下采取的行動(dòng)，往往是由外部暗示無(wú)意中引發(fā)的——對(duì)行為有強(qiáng)大的影響，可以成為我們做出積極改變的最大盟友。但是因?yàn)樗鼈兒茈y改掉，習(xí)慣也經(jīng)常破壞個(gè)人進(jìn)步。

"Habit is a good servant but a bad master" is how author Gretchen Rubin summed it up in her book "Better Than Before: Mastering the Habit of Our Everyday Lives." Hers was one of three recent books I read back-to-back on the subject of habit formation; the others were Charles Duhigg's "The Power of Habit" and Jeremy Dean's "Making Habits, Breaking Habits." Together, they helped me understand more deeply the importance of habit control, how to choose a habit to begin or end, and the mechanics of sticking with it.

“習(xí)慣是一個(gè)好仆人，但是是一個(gè)壞主人”，這是作家Gretchen Rubin在她的書(shū)《比以前更好:掌握我們?nèi)粘Ｉ畹牧?xí)慣》中總結(jié)的。她的書(shū)是我最近連續(xù)讀過(guò)的三本關(guān)于習(xí)慣形成的書(shū)之一;其他兩本分別是查爾斯·杜希格的《習(xí)慣的力量》和杰里米·迪恩的《養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣，打破習(xí)慣》。他們一起幫助我更深刻地理解了控制習(xí)慣的重要性，如何開(kāi)始或結(jié)束一個(gè)習(xí)慣，以及堅(jiān)持它的機(jī)制。

The first thing to know, each book explained, is that a lot of our daily actions are so rote, they are automatic. "All our life ... is but a mass of habits," philosopher and psychologist William James wrote, though a 2006 study put the amount of habitual daily action at 40%. Still, that's a lot of mindless behavior.

每本書(shū)都解釋說(shuō)，首先要知道的是，我們每天的許多行為都是生搬硬套的，是自動(dòng)的。“一輩子……哲學(xué)家和心理學(xué)家威廉·詹姆斯寫(xiě)道：“我們所有的生活…不過(guò)是一大堆習(xí)慣。”盡管2006年的一項(xiàng)研究表明日常習(xí)慣行為的數(shù)量為40%。盡管如此，這還是有很多愚蠢的行為。

Room to grow

成長(zhǎng)的空間

The first thing to identify for yourself is the habit you want to work on, whether it's starting a new (good) one or ending an old (bad) one. That's a minor distinction, by the way. Eating healthier is eating less junk. Exercising more is being less sedentary. One is often the inverse of another.

首先要確定的是你想要養(yǎng)成的習(xí)慣，無(wú)論是開(kāi)始一個(gè)新的(好的)習(xí)慣還是結(jié)束一個(gè)舊的(壞的)習(xí)慣。順便說(shuō)一下，這是一個(gè)很小的區(qū)別。健康飲食就是少吃垃圾食品。多運(yùn)動(dòng)就是少坐著。一個(gè)經(jīng)常與另一個(gè)相反。

We know what many of the most common areas of improvement are, at least when it comes to making resolutions. People want to lose weight, eat better, be more mindful, spend money more wisely, sleep better and improve relationships. By eliminating bad habits and starting new ones, you can succeed in most of these areas.

我們知道許多最常見(jiàn)的改進(jìn)領(lǐng)域是什么，至少在制定決議時(shí)是這樣。人們想要減肥、吃得更好、更用心、更明智地花錢(qián)、睡得更好、改善人際關(guān)系。通過(guò)改掉壞習(xí)慣，開(kāi)始新的習(xí)慣，你可以在這些方面取得成功。

Repeal and replace your behavior

廢除并替換你的行為

The consensus among these books is that the most effective way to adopt a habit is to replace a bad one with a better one. Dean's metaphor is to think of habits as well-worn rivers of action that flow out of the predictable path of your routine. Often, the most effective way to stop it flowing in harmful directions is not by damming it but by diverting it. For example, many people stop smoking by chewing gum.

這些書(shū)中的共識(shí)是，養(yǎng)成習(xí)慣的最有效方法是用更好的習(xí)慣代替壞習(xí)慣。迪恩的比喻是把習(xí)慣看作是從你日常生活中可預(yù)測(cè)的路徑流出的久經(jīng)考驗(yàn)的行動(dòng)之河。通常情況下，阻止它向有害方向流動(dòng)的最有效的方法不是筑壩，而是改變它的方向。例如，許多人通過(guò)嚼口香糖來(lái)戒煙。

The wonderful thing about triggers

觸發(fā)物的奇妙之處

We like to think we have free will in every situation, but many of our actions are predictably triggered by external situations. And if those events are part of your daily or weekly routine, our Pavlovian tendencies become ingrained. Pajamas are on: Time to floss and brush. Cup of coffee in hand: Time to dunk a doughnut. Beer finished: Let's have a cigarette. But triggers can also be feelings, such as stress or boredom.

關(guān)于觸發(fā)物的奇妙之處我們喜歡認(rèn)為我們?cè)谌魏吻闆r下都有自由意志，但我們的許多行動(dòng)都是由外部情況可預(yù)見(jiàn)地觸發(fā)的。如果這些事件是你每天或每周例行公事的一部分，我們的巴甫洛夫傾向就會(huì)根深蒂固。睡衣穿上了：是時(shí)候用牙線(xiàn)和刷牙了。手里拿著一杯咖啡：是時(shí)候泡個(gè)甜甜圈了。啤酒喝完了：我們抽根煙吧。但觸發(fā)因素也可能是感覺(jué)，如壓力或無(wú)聊。