How to Build and Keep Good Habits: Where we are Going Wrong, and How to Improve our Lives with Healthier and Better Habits

By Jennifer N. Smith

What are your good habits that you are proud of? What are the bad ones you know you need to change?

 

Human beings are complex characters, full of both good and bad habit. Most of the time, we know what we should be doing but still can't seem to find the drive. We know of all the good habits that can make us better as a person, but they seem almost too difficult to achieve.

 

This book - "How to Build and Keep Good Habits: Where we are Going Wrong, and How to Improve our Lives with Healthier and Better Habits" is a one-stop guideline to everything you need to know about good and bad habits.

 

In this book, you will find:

• A list of the common bad habits we generally have, from not drinking enough water to procrastinating;
• Reasons why we can't seem to get rid of our bad habits and why we fell into them in the first place;
• Different aspects of our lives that we can improve with more good habits;
• Practical ways to make sure we incorporate the important good habits into our lives;
• Best habits to make our lives better;
• Bonus chapter with a list of good habits for everyone.

If you want to know where you went wrong, why you have ended up with too many bad habits and how you can get rid of them, this is the book for you.

… and if you not only want to build some good habits but also keep them for life, this is definitely the book for you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jennifer N. Smith
• Release date: Nov 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393681717

Jennifer N. Smith

We are a team of writers. We are a team of moms.  We are Writer Moms!  We have experienced what it is like to be a mother and to be completely clueless about raising our children. Through mutual support and help, we have risen out of our early mom days and we want to help you now. We love reading and writing self-improvement and self-help books, especially parenting books that will help you become the best version of yourself for your children. Whether you are a new mother, a veteran mother or an expectant mother, our books can help you.  We have positive, practical advice for all the Mommies (and the Daddies) out there. Instead of just telling you what to do, we believe in giving you step-by-step user guides for your everyday problems.  We love cooking and preparing delicious food for our children and our families. We love spending time with our loved ones. We are Mommies who have jobs, businesses and are stay-at-home parents, and we can help you with many of your questions. Most of our books deal with children and parenting, but we also love to write on other topics related to your home and family.  Most importantly, we believe in a happy home, and we would love to help to make your life so much better, as it should be.

Book preview

Introduction

Our habits aren’t something we do consciously every day of our lives, but something that has become deep seeded within ourselves due to years and years of experience. In a way, we are what our habits make us; on the other hand, we are an amalgamation of the various habits we have – good and bad!

What are our habits?

Formal description says that our habits are the rituals and actions we automatically and unconsciously perform every day.  Brushing our teeth, skipping breakfast, taking a shower every day, eating chocolates after every meal, drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning, brushing our hair – these are all habits, good and bad. We all have these habits that have been drilled into us from our childhood, while some we have acquired as we grew older. In some people, the good habits prevail while in others, unfortunately, the bad habits are more dominant.

All our lives, we try to maintain and develop our good habits; at the same time, we try to shake off the ones which are bad for us. That’s exactly what this book is all about – trying to build some of the habits which will be good for us, as well as trying to hold on to them for the rest of our lives.

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact, some of the habits we know as good can be very difficult to start and maintain. You don’t need someone simply telling you to build good habits; what you need are practical advices on maintaining good habits. That’s what you are going to find in my book "How to Build and Keep Good Habits: Where we are Going Wrong, and How to Improve our Lives with Healthier and Better Habits".

Chapter 1

What Are We Doing Wrong?

Over the years, we pick up a lot of bad habits even when we know they are bad for us. Some we pick up from watching others around us, some we start just because they are easier. While we are all taught to follow good habits from our childhood, more or less, somewhere along the way, we simply forget what we were taught by our parents and guardians, teachers and mentors, grandparents and other well-wishers in our life, and make up our own choices.

So, from skipping breakfasts to blaming other for our mistakes, from not drinking enough water to sleeping too much – all these are bad habits that we unknowingly and unconsciously pick up in our lives. We all want to shed these bad habits because we know how harmful it can be for our health, our finance, our relationship and our career.

If you think you have a few bad habits that you don’t like about yourself, know that you are not alone in this. Everyone has a few – or more than a few - bad habits they want to drop. Before talking about them, let’s first list some of the common bad habits we see in the people around us.

Not Drinking Enough Water. We all know how important it is to drink at least 7 to 8 glasses of water every day, but only a few of us maintain this good habit in our everyday routine.

Not Sleeping Enough. Whether it is because we are watching TV or if we have brought work home, going to bed late is a common bad habit that is extremely bad for our health.

Not Exercising Regularly. Not everyone needs to spend an hour at the gym every day, but a completely sedentary life can be very harmful for our health.

Not Monitoring your Food Habit. Most of what we love to eat happens to be bad for our health, at least if we eat them regularly. Fast food, deep-fried food, sugar, caffeinated and sugary drinks, too much salt in our food, chocolates and fatty food – these are the kind of food that contributes to obesity, heart problems and blood pressure.

Not Maintaining a Good Hygiene. Some of us have this habit of not showering every day or not brushing our teeth regularly. It may seem very normal, but good hygiene is a very important part of our health. While it may be okay to skip out of bathing or brushing once in a while, it is not something to do regularly.

Biting your Nails. Of course, we all know exactly how unhealthy this habit is, because you aren’t just biting your nails, but also allowing all the invisible dirt, dust and bacteria inside your nails to enter your body.

Smoking. There’s no doubt about it: smoking is one of the most harmful bad habits there is, both for you and for the people around you.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol. A little alcohol at social gatherings or before bed can be considered acceptable, but more than that is bad. Too much alcohol isn’t just harmful for your health, but can also make you take terrible decisions when you are intoxicated.

Drinking too Much Caffeine. Most of us can’t even begin to function without our cup of coffee in the morning, but too much caffeine can be bad for us.

Watching Television Constantly. Television is supposed to be a form of entertainment, not something to spend hours on every day. If you are watching TV five to six hours a day, this is a bad habit that needs to be monitored.

Too Much Screen Time. Spending too many hours glued to your laptop, phone, tablet or TV – this is not a good habit. Instead of too much screen time, the human body and mind needs adequate exercise, social interactions and fresh air.

Eating Too Much Red Meat. We may not even consider this a bad habit, but eating too much