養(yǎng)成新的(好)習慣，改掉舊的(壞)習慣

養(yǎng)成新的(好)習慣，改掉舊的(壞)習慣

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)在正試圖改掉一個壞習慣或養(yǎng)成一個好習慣。作為一個物種，我們致力于自我完善，令人印象深刻，我們大多數(shù)人相信習慣是達到這一目標的有效手段。

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.

習慣——在很少有意識思考的情況下采取的行動，往往是由外部暗示無意中引發(fā)的——對行為有強大的影響，可以成為我們做出積極改變的最大盟友。但是因為它們很難改掉，習慣也經(jīng)常破壞個人進步。

"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.

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

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.

每本書都解釋說，首先要知道的是，我們每天的許多行為都是生搬硬套的，是自動的。“一輩子……哲學家和心理學家威廉·詹姆斯寫道：“我們所有的生活…不過是一大堆習慣。”盡管2006年的一項研究表明日常習慣行為的數(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)成的習慣，無論是開始一個新的(好的)習慣還是結(jié)束一個舊的(壞的)習慣。順便說一下，這是一個很小的區(qū)別。健康飲食就是少吃垃圾食品。多運動就是少坐著。一個經(jīng)常與另一個相反。

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的改進領(lǐng)域是什么，至少在制定決議時是這樣。人們想要減肥、吃得更好、更用心、更明智地花錢、睡得更好、改善人際關(guān)系。通過改掉壞習慣，開始新的習慣，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.

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

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為我們在任何情況下都有自由意志，但我們的許多行動都是由外部情況可預見地觸發(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根深蒂固。睡衣穿上了：是時候用牙線和刷牙了。手里拿著一杯咖啡：是時候泡個甜甜圈了。啤酒喝完了：我們抽根煙吧。但觸發(fā)因素也可能是感覺，如壓力或無聊。